Can Summer Last Forever? The Alternate Ending
by zapdosmaster145
Summary: An alternate ending to one of my old stories, a fan-made version of the series finale, commemorating the actual series finale. It is recommended that "Can Summer Last Forever?" is read first, at least up to Chapter 17, although there is a full summary inside.
1. The Story So Far

The Story So Far

 _Can Summer Last Forever?_ begins late one night towards the end of summer vacation. A man finds himself held prisoner in an evil scientist's lab. The evil scientist introduces himself as Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and announces that by the end of the next day, he will be the new ruler of the Tri-State Area. After explaining his latest plan, Doofenshmirtz shoots the man with a mysterious weapon to keep his secret safe.

The next morning, which is the last day of summer, Phineas and Ferb create their biggest project ever to end summer vacation with a bang. In a grand unveiling in view of the entire city, they reveal their greatest masterpiece: a floating theme park featuring every kind of attraction imaginable, resting high in the sky directly over the city like a giant space ship. They invite everyone in the entire Tri-State Area to come celebrate the last day of summer with them up in their park.

It doesn't take long for practically the entire city to join the gang up on their sky-park. As far as she can tell, Candace is all alone down below, too focused on busting her brothers to have any desire to join in on the fun. At first she feels sorry for herself that once again the universe has conspired against her in preventing Linda from seeing, but once Candace realizes the full implications of being the last person in an empty city, she decides to take advantage of the opportunity to do all the crazy things she'd always wanted to but didn't in respect to societal convention, like spinning donuts in her Neddlington Nymph.

Meanwhile, as the kids are having fun on their park, Agent P heads off to begin his mission. Doofenshmirtz traps him in quicksand and begins to explain his latest evil scheme. Turns out Doofenshmirtz plots to remove every school from existence so that school can't start the next morning, allowing him to use the ensuing chaos to become ruler of the Tri-State Area. He then activates his School-Remove-Inator which causes every school in the city to disappear. Satisfied, he leaves Perry to perish in his trap and departs to make his move on the city.

While Candace is out having the time of her life, she stumbles on an empty lot where her brothers' school should have been. She calls the police, believing Phineas and Ferb were somehow behind it. The police send out an officer to investigate, and together they uncover the fact that every school in the city has mysteriously vanished into thin air, literally. Candace decides to go find her brothers to see if they might know anything about this while the officer heads off to investigate further. Meanwhile, Doofenshmirtz completes the process of brainwashing his prisoner and gives him orders that will initiate the next step in his plan.

Agent P barely manages to escape the quicksand with his life and goes searching for clues about Doofenshmirtz's plan. In the alley behind Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc., he finds evidence of a kidnapping and confronts the recently returned evil scientist about it. Doofenshmirtz explains that he had already released the man without harming him, since he was necessary for the next step in his plan. Agent P departs once more to find this man and learn his nemesis' true plan.

In City Hall, the mayor, Roger Doofenshmirtz, has just learned about the situation with the schools. He decides to hold a press conference where he will determine what course of action the city will take.

Using the resources of the OWCA and his clever detective skills, Agent P is able to track the man Doofenshmirtz kidnapped to his home but arrives too late. The man is not there, and Agent P receives word that a press conference is about to be held at City Hall. He puts aside his present mission and prepares for whatever Doofenshmirtz has planned at his brother's press conference.

After much searching on the sky-park, Candace finally locates her brothers with their friends and they find a small restaurant to discuss the things she has seen. Before they get a chance to, however, the news comes on a small TV set and they stop to watch the Mayor's press conference unfold.

Mayor Roger Doofenshmirtz begins addressing the citizens of the Tri-State Area while Agent P observes from a rooftop across the street. The secret agent watches in horror as his nemesis' work is displayed before all the world by the press and media. Roger acknowledges to the people that every school in the city is indeed missing. Due to the disappearances, he declares that school is suspended until such a time as the city will be able to accommodate the children and their educational needs once more. Summer just got an extension!

As Candace and the others watch, they along with everyone else are stunned by this news. There is no time for them to come to terms with this yet, however, for suddenly a man, who Perry quickly realizes is the one Doofenshmirtz kidnapped and brainwashed, interrupts the press conference and blames the Mayor Roger for what has happened to the schools. His words leave a mark on the crowd, and Roger withdraws from the news cameras before he is further humiliated. The press conference ends and the people begin to disperse, wondering if their leader was ever really as competent as they used to believe.

The kids immediately start to discuss the repercussions of school being suspended. Baljeet naturally mourns the suspension as he would a lost relative, but Buford takes the opposite stance and rejoices that there won't be any more school. When asked his opinion about school being suspended, Phineas looks like he is lost in a trance. Isabella snaps him out of it and asks him again. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Phineas says in a low voice, "I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to school yet."

When none of the kids looked like they were expecting a response like that from him, he further explains how important summer had come to be to him; how even though he knew school was important, this was an opportunity of a lifetime! One too great to pass up. Candace gets upset by his response and leaves, as does Baljeet; leaving Phineas feeling very guilty all of a sudden.

Fortunately Isabella is there to remind him of what's really important. She is able to persuade Phineas to change his mind in a way that noticeably brings their relationship a step further. No sooner has Phineas decided to apologize to his sister and friends than Baljeet reemerges, eyes wide with fright.

Baljeet tells the others that people are reacting to the news that school is suspended by rioting at Phineas and Ferb's park. Already a group of teenagers have begun rioting and looting not far from where the kids sat to watch the press conference. Suddenly everyone around them, in the restaurant and across the park, is frightened by the riots and frantically start trying to evacuate the park, so that things get even more out of control. The kids quickly come up with a plan to find Candace before things get worse and split up to search for her.

Meanwhile, as Roger Doofenshmirtz ponders how to deal with the situation, he is visited in his office by the man who had humiliated him during his press conference earlier. The man commands the Mayor to resign, threatening that more destruction will befall the city, further disgracing his name, if Roger refuses. Roger sees no other choice and accepts. After the visit he uses a secret passage leading away from his office to escape unnoticed.

In their search for Candace, Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella run into some trouble. They learn some of the teenagers who were causing the riots have come up with a plan to take control of their park, and they're kidnapping all the children who are still there so they can make the whole park kids-only. They want to get rid of all grown-ups so that the kids can stay aboard the ship and have fun, by themselves, forever. Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella refuse to join them and are almost kidnapped themselves when suddenly, in the nick of time, Perry arrives and rescues them. Meanwhile, Buford and Baljeet find Candace, and they all meet back up together to form a plan.

Elsewhere, plans are coming together perfectly for Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Using his Do-Whatever-I-Say-Inator, a device that turns anyone it hits into his mind slaves, Doofenshmirtz takes over City Hall with ease, now that Roger is missing. He quickly puts every government employee in the city under mind control and begins preparations for the final part in his plan.

Phineas wants to get everyone off their flying ship safely. Once that happens, then they can focus on the stopping the rioters. Additionally, he sends Baljeet and Buford back to the city to try and find out what happened to the missing schools. The others agree to help everyone evacuate the ship. It takes a while, but once all the civilians are off except for the rioters, the kids are approached by none other than Monty Monogram. Monty informs them he has intel that a squadron of police officers are on their way to the ship to arrest the rioters, to the relief of Phineas, Ferb and the others. That relief doesn't last, however, when the cops arrive at that very moment and arrest them all on the spot! Things aren't looking good, now that it appears that even the police force is under Doofenshmirtz's control!

The alternate ending to _Can Summer Last Forever?_ begins here, with Chapter 18.


	2. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Wow, I could really get used to this being 'in charge' thing," Doofenshmirtz stated. He beheld his freshly cleaned apartment, bug free and secret agent free. "Yes, now that I have underlings to do my bidding, I'll never have to clean up Perry the Platypus's— _or Norm's_ —messes ever again." He smiled proudly upon all the servants he had been able to brainwash at City Hall—it was like having his own robot army to do his bidding. "You see, when your evil lair is a pig sty, it is really hard to invent new schemes," Doofenshmirtz rambled. "I am a firm believer that a clean room inspires evil thoughts."

Turning, he walked across the room to a small wooden crate sitting against the wall. "I must admit, I am quite pleased that you were able to salvage the School-Remove-Inator when we ripped out the quicksand pit trap. It gives me an idea for my next evil ploy. I'll change the settings so that it targets the City Hall building, but instead of just removing City Hall from this dimension like I did the schools, I think I can warp the dimensions to place it somewhere it would fit even better!"

Doofenshmirtz flipped a switch on the wall he stood by and the ceiling opened wide, exposing the room to the outside. Then he activated the School-Remove-Inator. As before, an antenna rose from the top and began to pulsate with energy. A swirling cloud of inter-dimensional mist rose above Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. The evil scientist pulled out some binoculars and looked in the direction of City Hall to see an identical swirl forming above the white building yonder. The positive and negative energies of the two swirls synced and together, they slowly began to descend.

As the swirl above City Hall overtook the roof of the white building, the portion touched by the portal disappeared. Simultaneously, the very same portion would form into existence above the swirl atop Doofenshmirtz's apartment. The matter connected to the southern pole of one cloud was being instantly transferred to the northern pole of the other. As the process continued, more of City Hall disappeared from its place in downtown and would reappear above Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. Almost all of the building had been relocated as the swirl sank ever lower. Finally, the process was complete, and City Hall sat snugly where the purple arched convertible roof had been moments before. The energy petered back into nothingness, and the –Inator idled to a stop.

"Haha! Now I don't have to move all my things to the office; in fact, I can rule the Tri-State Area from the comfort of my home!" Doofenshmirtz maniacally cackled.

* * *

"I did it!" Baljeet said triumphantly.

"No you didn't, the school is still gone," Buford reminded him.

"I know that; I meant I found out why the school vanished. It has been lifted through the fourth dimension."

"What? How does that make any sense?"

"It was your idea that made me think about it. When a wizard uses magic to make something disappear, like the goblin king in Stumbleberry Finkbat IV, he is really controlling the energy around them, literally lifting them out of this dimension into another one. The science behind it is tenable, but only in theory. I do not know how someone got it to work in real life."

"I'm pretty sure we've seen crazier stuff happen this summer."

"You are right, that is what overrides my natural instinct to throw this theory out as preposterous. But if Phineas and Ferb could do it, maybe someone else could, too."

"So, what now?" Buford asked.

"Now, we radio them and tell them what we found out."

"Right." Buford pulled the walkie-talkie Phineas had given them earlier out of his pocket. "Hope I didn't break it when I sat down."

Sighing, Baljeet commanded, "Just give me it."

Baljeet brought the piece to his mouth and spoke. "Phineas? Phineas? Can you hear me? This is Baljeet, we know what happened to the schools! Phineas, come in!" The two listened, but there was no answer.

"Why are they not answering?" the smaller boy asked.

"Maybe they got hungry," was Buford's reply. "Wait, what's that?" He pointed at a tall, purple building to the south. "I've never seen that building before."

Baljeet looked where the bully was pointing. The purple building was a forgettable one he usually overlooked, but it had a glimmer of white on top. Looking closer, he saw Roman columns and a white dome, the American Flag fluttering at the apex. "That is City Hall! How did it get on top of that building?"

Baljeet was an exceptionally bright kid; he figured it out instantly. "But of course! More warping of spacetime! Phineas, please answer! It is important!" he hailed again, but there was still no answer. "We cannot seem to get a hold of them!" Baljeet was starting to panic.

"That's too bad. We should go get some slushy dogs."

"No, we should go to that building. It is obviously where we will find out who is doing this," Baljeet said. "Phineas said he trusted us to solve this, and that is where the clues are leading. We must go to the purple skyscraper."

* * *

"You've got to let us go! We're not the bad guys, we built this park!" Phineas had forcefully told his captors upon hearing Baljeet's call. They took away his walkie-talkie and ignored his pleas.

"When you hear from my father, you are not going to like it!" Monty told the officers who had cuffed him.

The chief of police turned to an assistant and said, "By command of Emperor Doofenshmirtz, we are to take home all children found aboard this ship. Lieutenant, dispatch teams of four in all directions. Force all the targets into the center of the ship, where we can apprehend them all together. I want this operation concluded within one hour. Sunset is three hours away, make sure all the rugrats are home before dusk so that parents will know of Emperor Doofenshmirtz's quick, decisive action."

"What should we do with these kids?" the lieutenant asked, gesturing to Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Candace, Monty, and Perry.

"I believe I just told you," the chief said gruffly.

"You can't take us home!" Phineas interrupted. "We have to stay here at the park or the city will be in danger!"

The chief of police looked at Phineas for the first time since arriving. "Aren't you a little young to be building unauthorized thrill parks that float in the sky?" Before anyone else could, he answered for himself. "Yes. Yes you are. But your imagination will not be endangering the safety of others any longer; Emperor Doofenshmirtz has a special program prepared for his youth. And don't forget to take your platypus." With that, he gestured toward the elevator, and several guards surrounded the group and walked them to the platform.

"You're making a serious mistake!" was all Phineas could shout before walls formed and the elevator detached itself from the ship.

* * *

Carl the, until recently, unpaid intern watched as the Flynn-Fletcher family, Isabella, and Monty were escorted from the park. He wished he could help them, but knew he couldn't give away his hiding spot lest he be given the same treatment. After they left, he watched the remainder of the police force fan out in at least two dozen groups of four, spreading in all directions as they began their search for the ship's unruly occupants.

"All right, Carl, it's your chance to be the hero and prove your worth to the agency," he told himself. "Time to impress Major Monogram, to show him I am good for something besides picking up his dry cleaning." He pressed his glasses higher up his nose and turned to leave. He gave one glance over his shoulder as he turned the corner and accidentally bumped into something, causing him to fall over backwards.

"Freeze, police!" shouted a startled policeman.

"Oh, good going, I'll never be a field agent now," Carl muttered, looking up at the fully outfitted officer.

* * *

It was a party unlike any other. With the park all to themselves, and not a single adult anywhere in sight to tell them what to do, the remainder of the ship's occupants had begun a celebration worthy of the news that school had been suspended.

They were all of them school-age. There were plenty of younger children, elementary school age, who kept their heads down and stayed out of the way of the older kids. The majority, however, were teenagers. It wasn't just the punks that had rioted, either. Word had spread across social media that everyone who wanted to abolish school for good and have a place to go to be away from their parents, a place to go just to have fun, should come to this party. It wasn't just the "bad kids" who were there, anymore; it was everybody and anybody who didn't want to go to school, or who simply didn't want to follow any more rules in general, or even anyone who just liked to be where the party was. And they all brought their friends.

One person found herself still aloof among all the jubilation. It wasn't that Vanessa Doofenshmirtz hated parties, she just wasn't apt to showing much emotion. At least until her friends arrived. She sat on a cement step with a soda in one hand, listening to the deafening beat of the music that was being played everywhere while watching the crowds dance, sing, go on rides, and do everything else there was to do on Phineas and Ferb's ship.

Her goth friends arrived and took seats around her, including Johnny, who took a seat to her side. Vanessa recoiled when he moved to put an arm around her, and he dropped it.

"So, this party is supposed to go, like, forever?" one of her friends, Lacie, asked the rest.

"Haven't you heard the news?" said Dana, another one of the girls. "School's canceled, so everyone's celebrating."

"Good thing, too," added Birgitte. "I, like, left some jeans out in the sun to fade them, but they need a few more days before I can, like, wear them and everything."

Heather fake-coughed. "Is this a party or a fashion show?"

"Chill-lax. Now there's, like, plenty of time for both."

"So, do any of you guys, like, know when school is coming back?" inquired Lacie.

A pair of big, black combat boots appeared before the group, and everyone in the circle went quiet. "I do," said the bald-headed teen who was planted in them.

Vanessa cleared her throat. "Hey, Tommy," she greeted, although it came out sounding a little forced.

"Are you all having a— _pleasant evening?_ "

They all nodded. "Yeah, sure. Uh-huh."

Tommy inclined his head in approval. "That's good. I was hoping you would find this place satisfactory."

"Satisfactory for what?"

The leader of the rebellion against school smiled menacingly. "For our new home. I see this park as a place of freedom, a place where we never have to listen to grown-ups or do what we're told. They can't make us go to school anymore—how can they? There are no more schools! So why should we have to do anything else they tell us, either? What if we just stay here? We won't have to!"

"But, what about our parents?" Dana asked.

"What, would you rather be home with your Mommy?" Tommy sneered.

"I—no."

Tommy turned to leave. "That's what I thought. It's better this way. And there ain't nobody who's gonna stop us."

* * *

The elevator touched the ground and the walls evaporated, exposing the grassy expanse of Danville Main Street Park. Many police cars had been parked alongside the street, more than Phineas had ever seen in one place before. The kids disembarked from the platform. "Keep moving," the cops escorting the group said, and they piled into the backseat of one of the nearest vehicles, with Ferb setting Perry on his lap. Monty was placed in a separate car, and they didn't see where he was taken.

The cops drove to Maple Street and walked Isabella to her house before taking Candace, Phineas, and Ferb to their home on the other side. When the cop knocked on the door, Lawrence answered attired in a muscle shirt and gym shorts and two bright white tube socks reaching up to the bottom of his kneecaps. He was drenched in sweat and carried a skinny dumbbell in one hand, but dropped it to the floor when he saw two cops standing behind his kids. "Oh my goodness, what is going on?" he asked.

"Sir, are these your children?" One of the cops asked authoritatively.

"Yes; what happened, officer?"

"They're busted. We found them aboard the sky-ship which was outlawed by Emperor Doofenshmirtz earlier today. We have brought them here to release into your custody."

"And who is Emperor Dufflesmith?" Lawrence inquired, not fully understanding.

"Emperor _Doofenshmirtz_ is the new supreme ruler of the Tri-State Area, and don't you forget it."

"Very well, then. Kids, come inside. How can I thank you, officers?"

"By taking this." Lawrence was handed a pamphlet. "Emperor Doofenshmirtz has issued a new proclamation requiring all school aged children to attend this new institution. School will begin tomorrow; make sure your children are there." With that, the cops returned to their car and drove away.

"I should work out less often," Lawrence said as he looked over the pamphlet. The cover had a picture of a purple skyscraper, the words "Doofenshmirtz Educational Institution" inscribed in large, friendly letters on its façade.


	3. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

There was a reason Candace had always busted to her mom instead of her dad. This was not how she had envisioned busting her brothers in her head.

"You were brought home by the police! Do you know what goes through a parent's mind when he or she sees _them_ standing with your children on the front porch?" Lawrence scolded the three of them. Not loudly, just stern.

"But Dad, we weren't doing anything wrong!" Phineas kept saying. "We were just trying to make the last day of summer the best day ever!"

"Well, you kids need to learn the distinguishing line between having fun and causing mischief."

A similar conversation was going on at Isabella's home.

"Isa, you gave me, your mother, such a fright. What were-a you doing for the police to be bringing you home so?"

"Mom, I was with Phineas and Ferb on the park they built. We didn't know of any emperor who had made it illegal to be there. There isn't even supposed to be an emperor in Danville!"

Isabella's mother muttered something in rapid Spanish before saying, "Oi vey, if those boys are getting in trouble, then I cannot be allowing you to play with them anymore."

"What? But they're my friends!" Isabella protested. "It wasn't their fault, we were just innocents caught in the crossfire!"

"I do not want you being around those boys anymore. Do not argue with me, or you will be grounded as well." Her mother cut off Isabella's remark with a tone of finality.

Isabella brought her hands to her face before running to her room and slamming the door behind her. The dark drops of tears glistened visibly on the floor outside her door.

At the Flynn-Fletcher's, Candace was disgusted by the injustice she was witnessing. "All three of you kids are grounded to your rooms until your mother gets back this evening. Then we will discuss what further punishments are to be given," Lawrence finished.

Phineas and Ferb were obediently trudging to the stairs, and Candace had no choice but to follow. As she reached her room and shut the door, she fought the urge to scream loudly. She buried her face in a pillow and let out some muffled noises. "No, no, no, this is all wrong! This isn't how I was supposed to bust the boys," she sobbed to herself. "Why do I feel so bad when this is what I've always wanted?"

Simmering in her thoughts, Candace tried to understand why her emotions were screaming at her. "Maybe Stacy will know what to do," she hoped, and dialed her friend's number.

It barely rang twice before Stacy answered. "Candace!" she shouted excitedly. It sounded like there was a lot of noise in the background. "Where are you? This party up here on your brothers' park is amazing! You gotta get up here so we can hang out!"

"I can't Stacy, I've been grounded."

"Whoa. Get caught throwing a wild party again?" Stacy teased.

"Actually, I finally busted my brothers, and we are all in deep doo-doo."

"You finally busted your brothers?" Stacy sounded shocked. "Are you pulling my leg?"

"No, Stacy, I really did it."

"What happened?"

"We were escorted home from my brother's park by the police. Dad's furious, says we can't come out of our rooms until tomorrow."

"Aha, went with the sacrificial bust method, huh? So, we get to hang out tomorrow?"

"Doubt it," Candace sighed sadly into her phone.

"Why not?"

"It's not going to be that simple," Candace said with a worried tone. "I don't know what's going on right now. School has been canceled, there's a giant floating metal object in the sky, my brothers have been busted, and I've been hearing weird things like that there's a new emperor ruling the city or something. Today has been so strange, I don't want to know what will happen tomorrow."

Stacy wondered why her best friend was acting like this. "Hang on," she said, before making her way to someplace more quiet. Then, as any good 'BFF' would do, she asked, "What's the matter?"

Candace looked at her fingers, wondering the same thing. "I don't know, but it just feels…bad. I don't know why."

"C'mon, Candace, loosen up! Vacation is still on, you shouldn't be sad when school gets canceled! Plus, you finally busted your brothers, isn't this like your dream come true?"

"I had a dream once where that did come true, and it didn't turn out so well then, either," Candace remembered with hint of irony.

"Okay, but at least summer is going to last a little longer. At least tell me you're happy about that," Stacy replied.

"I can't say that, either, Stacy. I was down there, I saw the actual schools—er, I mean, that the schools were actually gone! Summer might be back on for a little longer, but there is something seriously wrong about all this. There's a reason we're supposed to go to school, and not just spend the whole year sitting around doing nothing."

"Like what?" Stacy asked.

"I don't know, Stacy. I mean, what would you do if you didn't ever have to go to school?"

"Um, probably sleep, eat, hang out with cute boys, and go shopping."

"And would you find that a fulfilling life? Just doing that forever?"

"Yeah. We're teenagers, Candace. It's what we do."

"But that's just it. We think that's what we want, but when it finally comes true, sometimes we learn that we didn't really want that at all. _That's it!_ " Candace gasped, realizing that the advice she was trying to give Stacy was actually meant for herself. Startled at her own revelation, she continued, "That's why I'm feeling so cruddy about finally busting my brothers! I didn't know what I really wanted!"

"Hmm, that doesn't really make sense to me," Stacy replied.

"Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'be careful what you wish for'?"

"I just thought that meant you shouldn't leave loopholes in your wishes when you encounter magical genies."

"Well, I guess it could mean that too," Candace admitted.

After a short pause, Stacy asked, "Feeling better now?"

"A little. But there's still something I have to do, Stace. Thanks for just talking with me."

"Well, talking with you sometimes makes me feel like a psychiatrist, I ought to charge you $250 an hour." That made them both laugh; and so they ended their conversation.

Candace knew what she had to do now. Since she couldn't leave her room, she sent a text to her dad reading, 'let's talk.' A minute later the reply came, saying, 'come on down.' She crept down the stairs and found him seated on the couch with a towel to mop up his sweat.

"What is it, darling?" he asked. Lawrence looked at Candace, letting her know she had his full attention.

"Are you angry at us?" she asked sensitively.

"No, I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed."

"Why?"

"Because I hate to see you kids failing to reach your potential. I want to see you accomplish great things, Candace. You and your brothers. The world has changed so much since when I was a lad. You will have many more opportunities to do good than my generation did. But it is also true that there are more opportunities than ever before to do evil. I don't want you choosing the wrong path."

"Dad, you've got to believe us! We've been good kids our whole lives! If anybody deserves punishment, it's me. Let Phineas and Ferb go! They _do_ do amazing things, everyday! They aren't guilty of doing anything wrong. I am the one who has always tried to bust them, but they're really _good_ kids. You're putting the city in danger by keeping them locked up right now."

"What are you saying?"

"If they aren't at their sky-park when the sun goes down, the park will crash into the city."

Just then, a hand whipped out from behind the sofa to cover Lawrence's nose. He crumpled instantly, unconscious.

"DAD!" Candace shrieked.

"Shh, it's okay, it's just me!" Monty jumped out from behind her father to stop Candace from making more noise.

"What did you do to him?" Candace yelled, her face reddening.

"I used a harmless mind-wiping spray. He'll wake up in twenty minutes or so, not remembering a thing that happened all day."

"Why? How'd you get into our house?" Candace said, still not trusting him.

"Stop asking so many questions!" he said. "I need you and your brothers' help. And as for how I got in," he said slyly, "Secret." _—Entrance,_ he finished the thought in his head.

"Candace! Is everything okay?" Phineas shouted from upstairs. "Why are you yelling?"

"It's okay, Phineas!" Candace yelled back. She didn't want him to see what had transpired in the living room. "Stay in your room. I'm—just talking with Dad!"

"And by the way," Monty said, "what did you say about the park crashing into the city?"

"What were you saying about needing our help?" Candace replied.

"Touché. Bring me to your brothers and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Give me one reason why I should trust you." Candace said, crossing her arms.

"I'm one of the good guys. Trust me."

"Not good enough."

"I've also trained since I was small in many forms of martial arts and self-defense," he said, raising his arms to strike a ninja-like pose. "I have never hit a girl, but I know techniques where I won't have to."

Candace wasn't sure if that was meant to be a threat or not, but after about a second of holding the pose, Monty's serious face broke into a grin. Candace couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Okay, let's go see them."

She led the way up the stairs and banged the boys' door open.

"Hi, Candace," Phineas sighed, greeting his sister with considerably less than his usual gusto. He sat on his bed stroking Perry's fur, while Ferb was laying across his bed so that his head hung over the edge to face them upside-down.

"Good news, guys," Candace told them. "Dad said we aren't grounded anymore."

"Really?" Phineas asked.

"Yup," Candace lied, "I convinced him to let you leave in order to land your big metal park." They'd never know the difference, she reasoned, if she left out the part about an intruder, Monty, wiping their Dad's memory.

"The _Make Summer Last Forever?_ That's great!" Phineas replied, as he and Ferb made to stand.

"Wait," Candace said, "before you get up, there's someone who wants to see you."

Monty appeared behind the doorframe and entered. "Hey, guys," he waved.

"Hi Monty!" Phineas said, with noticeably more enthusiasm than before. "I didn't know you knew where we lived!"

"Oh, well, it wasn't that hard to find," Monty replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Candace gave him a suspicious look. "Yellow book," he added, praying the others would buy it.

As if noticing his trouble gaining the girl's acceptance, Perry hopped off the bed to sniff Monty's sneakers. "Perry seems to really like you," Phineas pointed out.

"Well, you could say I'm pretty good with animals," Monty explained, picking the platypus up to cradle in his chest. Perry exposed his belly to be scratched.

Turning serious again, Monty looked up at the boys. "Phineas Flynn," he said, "Ferb Fletcher, I was impressed when I saw you two this morning with the helicopter and the sky-park." Monty put the platypus back down, and Perry scuttled away to lie down in the corner.

"I was impressed even more when we met earlier. I was watching you; your only concern was getting everyone off the ship as safely as possible," Monty continued. "And above all, I was impressed when even though nobody asked you to do so, you were willing to stand up to the bad guys who took over the ship." Monty looked both boys in the eye, back and forth, penetrating.

"It is because of this that I have come to you with a choice. This city is in grave danger, and we must act quickly if we are to save it. I need your help, Phineas and Ferb. Are you willing to fight the evil that is even now strengthening its hold on the city? It will be dangerous, but if we do not stand up now, then our future looks bleak. The choice is yours," Monty finished.

"Does this evil have anything to do with the schools that disappeared today?" Phineas asked.

"It does."

"Then we will!" Phineas instantly resounded.

"Oh no, you won't!" Candace said. "I am not letting you two go off and do something dangerous with him! We barely even know this guy!"

"But Candace, what about Baljeet and Buford?" Phineas protested. "They might have already found out what happened to the schools! Remember when the cops took my walkie–talkie away? Baljeet said he'd found something! We need to find them. Plus, we have to get back to the park before nightfall, or else something worse could happen!"

"Alright, I really need to know," Monty interrupted. "Is the floating park going to crash into the city?"

"We designed the hover-tech to be powered by solar panels," Phineas explained. "The park will only float for a little while after dusk. When its charge drains, it will no longer float; but we have a landing site ready for nightfall. The city is in no risk if we are there to bring it to a safe touchdown."

"But if you aren't, it will crash in downtown Danville." Monty realized. "Wow. The situation is more complicated than I thought." Monty pensively brought his hand to his chin.

"See, Candace? We have to do this!" Phineas said.

"I'm not saying you aren't going to, I'm saying that I'm coming with you!" Candace told them.

"Alright! We get to save the world!" Phineas shouted with glee. Ferb jumped up to high-five his brother.

"Well, not the whole world, but we are going to save the city," Monty corrected. "Good. If you're all in, then there are some things I must tell you before we start. What I'm about to tell you is classified government information, and you can't tell anyone else, even in your family or any of your friends. Understood?"

The siblings all nodded. Then, Phineas noticed something. "Hey, where's Perry?" he said. The corner they had seen Perry occupying a couple minutes ago was empty.


	4. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Gleaming white in the afternoon sun, the summation of ideals and the legacy of a summer, she proudly floated high above the city. Like a sea-going ship, her name was stenciled in easily visible letters: the _Make Summer Last Forever._ Across the side of her northern face the red paint boldly declared exactly what her purpose was—what her builders hoped she would achieve. But dreamers though her creators were, never in even their wildest ones would they have guessed how literally her present occupants were taking this appellation.

Stacy believed this party was beginning to get a little excessive. No, that was an understatement. The teenagers surrounding her had danced and reveled their way into a sort of drunken fever. Chants of "No More School!" were breaking out quite regularly now, as were the loud crashing sounds made in the distance when a sect of partiers got a little too carried away and smashed something. More and more, the park was becoming trashed with glass shards from windows and TV screens that had been shattered, littered with cups and used cans of soda, and strewn about with bits of food and other odd pieces of junk for good measure. Once she even saw a small band of pyros setting a wooden table on fire.

It hadn't bothered her much at first. Stacy knew a good party always left a mess afterwards, that was just the nature of the beast. And when she got tired of tip-toeing over shattered glass or spilled juice, there was always the next park attraction and one of Phineas and Ferb's many amazing rides to take her mind off it. It was too bad Candace wasn't here to enjoy it with, but she'd decided to fill the BFF vacuum with her other friends while Candace waited out her grounding. Jenny, Olga, Chicago Joe, Coltraine, they were all here at this party as well, and she'd hung out with each of them already. But something about an unending party was exhausting.

The worn-out Stacy found a spot alone where she could rest her feet. Maybe this party wasn't all it was cooked up to be, she thought when a gaggle of boys a couple years younger than herself broke into _another_ round of "No More School! No More School!" nearby. Still, if Candy was here, at least she'd have someone to be with, and it wouldn't be so bad. At that moment, Stacy overheard the name "Love Händel" and focused on where in the background din it came from.

"…The Concert Hall is right next to the Snow Cones Shack," somebody was telling her circle of friends. "That's where the Love Händel concert is gonna be."

"It starts in fifteen minutes, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, so you'd better hurry if you need to go to the bathroom first."

A Love Händel concert, Stacy mused. That should help take her mind off things, and it did sound pretty fun. She rested for another couple minutes and then headed to the Concert Hall.

It was filled near capacity by the time she arrived, exactly fashionably late. Oddly the show still hadn't started. Stacy weaved through the crowd, looking for a good place to enjoy the concert. She hadn't yet settled on one when she began to hear boos raise up from the crowd. Turning to see what was the matter, Stacy looked and saw that, instead of Love Händel taking the stage, there was a teenager in all black and a shorn head.

He looked fiercely over the crowd, puffed out his chest, and said, "You booin' me, wallaby?" Intimidated, the booers hushed.

"I love you, Tommy!" a girl somewhere screamed.

"Thanks, babe," Tommy said, and there were more than a few snickers.

"Look, I know you were expecting to see Love Händel," he told the rowdy audience, "but they ain't here. This is my ship, and what I say goes, and I say that no adults are allowed!"

The fickle throng whistled and cheered at that. Tommy held up his hands and waited for silence to continue.

"That's right. We have kicked off all the grown-ups on this entire ship. Now, it's just us, with nobody nowhere to tell us what to do! Unfortunately, that means that Love Händel is gone, too, but there are no exceptions! No adults are allowed on my ship! I don't care who you are or where you're from, if you're eighteen and older, you are done!"

Cheers rang through the auditorium once again, louder this time. Now that they were with him, the speaker let them cheer without truncation, and a few more choruses of "No More School! No More School! No More School!" echoed through the halls.

Stacy watched with mixed feelings. Something about all this just didn't feel right. Yet at the same time, she envied the thought of never having to write another essay or figure out another math problem in her life. While she struggled with her inner feelings, the roughneck on the stage went on.

"Here's the thing, guys. I want you to enjoy yourselves. I want you to have fun. I want you to be free. It doesn't make me happy that you don't get to hear a Love Händel concert today. So I'll tell you what we do have. We have a different band here to play for us, tonight. They're a personal favorite of mine, an indie heavy-metal band called _The Deaf Puppies Who Had Their Souls Ripped Out and Sold_ , and—"

Even with a microphone, Stacy couldn't hear what this Tommy said next over the screams of pleasure that rang out. Though somehow she did manage to hear the same shrieking girl as before; "I love that band!"

"—And they're ready to blow the roof off this place," Tommy finally finished as soon as he could be heard. "But before they go, they wanted me to tell you guys to be as LOUD AS YOU CAN! This is MY ship, and the only rule besides there are no grown-ups is that THE PARTY NEVER STOPS! We're gonna stay up here forever, so stand up and welcome _THE DEAF PUPPIES WHO HAD THEIR SOULS RIPPED OUT AND SOLD!_ "

The air exploded into noise and chants. "No More School! No More School! NO MORE SCHOOL!" Even Stacy found herself joining in on it, deciding the excitement was too contagious.

The Deaf Puppies led into their first song, and the lights went out to be replaced by strobe lights of many colors and varieties, which danced over the writhing human bodies. The face-painted lead singer screamed into the mic.

" _All this time I've cried to myself every night!  
I've fallen down the footsteps of life!  
My dreams grow dark, and I come home  
To find my fears left me alone.  
Some doors, they faced me, I looked away,  
Poverty's doorstep, every day!  
We sent the toothpaste on its way,  
I fought it! I fought it! I fought it!_

 _When we come crashing down,  
You know the time is right to send it packing!  
I stand, but kneeling, I'll be shown  
Can't stop hegemonies on your own!  
Can't stop hegemonies on your own!_

Even though nobody had any idea what the lyrics meant, they spun and gyrated to the fullest extent their bodies could achieve. The electric guitar solo electrified the listeners to move at superhuman speeds that they maintained by a level of endurance only dancing frenzied teenagers could hope to manage. In short, it was a typical heavy-metal rock band concert.

 _When the water buffalo shine the lights  
The ancient Greeks didn't know how to burn,  
Charlemagne is gonna play the tambourine  
While red fish dance in shores forgone.  
The stars fall down and the oceans rise  
The earth meets up with the cloudy skies  
And lightning ricochets across the night.  
You'll find out it's a glorious sight!_

Stacy didn't even like heavy-metal that much, she just got caught up in the emotion of it all. Now she wondered how she could ever have thought a party that went on forever was a bad idea! It rocked! She danced and whooped just like the rest of them.

Outside the Concert Hall, the police squadron approached the noisy venue. Loud music could be heard coming from inside, attracting the force to converge on the concert. As one, they burst in and found the spectacle of hundreds of teenagers banging heads and flailing arms to the beat. It was so loud, nobody noticed the intruders arrive and begin hand-cuffing people in the back of the crowd.

The lead singer finally saw what was going on and stopped screaming into the microphone mid-sentence. His band noticed and gave each other questioning looks. "Stop, stop, stop," screamed the singer, although it was no longer the screamo type of scream, but the fearful type. "The cops are here! Everybody scram!"

It took several seconds of confusion for the words to register in the listeners. But the music had screeched to an ear-grating stop, and the wailing in the rear could now be heard. Now everyone began to see the cops toward the back of the room as they rounded up as many kids as they could reach. It suddenly became pure pandemonium as they all stampeded for the exit.

The police chased after, arresting every soul they caught. Within minutes, the only people still in the Concert Hall were those who were handcuffed. The rest of the partiers scattered across the park, like a herd of gazelle that had been attacked on the prairie by a pride of lions, with more being captured every minute. Everyone who was arrested was brought back to the Concert Hall to wait, while the police officers headed back out to bring in more of the rebellious partiers.

Stacy was being thronged on all sides as she escaped through the side doors. There was lots of pushing and shoving, and the bottleneck made progress agonizingly slow. Finally she squeezed her way through and sprinted to a nearby building for cover. It was a Hall of Mirrors, and Stacy weaved through the maze of reflections to hide with a group of girls maybe a little younger than her in a corner. It was dark inside here. Crouching with the others, she paused to catch her breath.

"What are we gonna do, you guys?" one girl asked the rest.

"I dunno, but my Mom's gonna kill me."

"Yeah, they're gonna catch us, and then they're gonna take us to jail! I'm too young to go to jail!"

"I'm scared!"

"Me too!"

"Well, they're gonna find us for sure, if you keep talking!" Stacy found herself rounding on the others. "Shush!"

Everyone stopped and listened, and sure enough, they heard the sound of boots somewhere in the building.

"They're coming for us," one of the other girls whispered. "Shouldn't we run?"

"Shh!"

Stacy peeked under a row of mirrors through a tiny gap near the floor. "I think I see one of them," she offered. "Maybe we can find a way to sneak around behind them."

Before anyone could react, however, the girl that kept talking lost control and bawled loudly. Everyone cringed as her wails rang out through the building, and Stacy facepalmed. One of the crying girl's friends slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her, but it was too late.

"Police, freeze!" shouted an officer with a flashlight as soon as he spotted them, leading a group of four other cops with him.

Stacy just sighed as she raised her hands up in surrender.

* * *

Like Stacy, many who were on board the ship found refuge in the attractions Phineas and Ferb's park offered. One group of young boys were running from two cops when they jumped on a roller coaster to keep away. The cops got in a car behind them and rode the coaster on their tails. As soon as the ride looped back to end where it began, the boys jumped out—exiting to their left, like the voice recording on the loud speaker commanded—as did the cops, and the chase continued on.

At one of the swimming pools, several kids jumped in and swam to the opposite bank of the pool. Some cops who had followed stopped at the water's edge.

"Aw, man!" one officer expressed. "How are we supposed to get them now? It's all wet!"

His partner rolled his eyes before shoving the hesitant man in, then jumped into the water himself to swim after them.

"Oh, great," complained the first officer, as he dumped water out of his cap. "Now my badge is gonna rust!"

Elsewhere in the park, five or six cops were trying to force open a locked door. Overhead, the kids locked inside had climbed onto the roof, and wielded slingshots for taking aim at the cops below with a small supply of water balloons. They let them fly, and _Splat! Splat! Splat!_ The cops below were drenched.

"Yeah! All right!" The kids on the rooftop high fived, then ducked back out of sight to find someplace else to hide.

The biggest party in the history of Danville had officially been crashed. The battle for the _Make Summer Last Forever_ had begun.


	5. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Agent P arrived in his lair, fedora donned. There wasn't another briefing scheduled for today, but he wanted to know why Major Monogram had sent Monty to enlist his family to battle Doofenshmirtz rather than Agent P himself.

As always, the Major faced him from the screen in front of him. "Ah, good evening, Agent P. I suspected you would come, good. That means my son Monty made it." Agent P sat in his red chair.

"I suppose you must be wondering why I have chosen to have Monty lead your host family in the battle against Doofenshmirtz. And, to be honest, I don't really know why myself. I mean, it would make infinitely more sense to send you in, but unfortunately there are policies about sending out the same Agent multiple times a day. Darn those pesky labor laws! But because of the extreme duress we are operating under today, I have been forced to exploit a loophole I once found and have been saving for an emergency like this. We can send you out again today if, and only if, your orders do not actually involve battling Doofenshmirtz yourself. Therefore, your mission is to watch over Monty and your family. Stay hidden, do not blow your cover, but you are authorized to follow them and keep them safe. We both know those children are the only ones now who can find a way to reverse everything Doofenshmirtz has done. You are our best agent, may this be your defining hour. Monogram out."

Agent P saluted and stood to prepare for one of his most important missions ever.

* * *

"I bet Perry just went to get a drink or something," Monty tried to focus the Flynn-Fletchers' attention away from the missing platypus. "As I was saying, you can't reveal the following information to anybody at all. Got it?"

The kids all nodded to him.

"Okay. Here's what's going on. Scattered throughout the city, there are evil scientists bent on world domination. My father is head of a secret government organization whose job it is to combat this sinister threat. Today's plot to make the schools disappear is a result of an invention by one of these evil scientists, who used the vanishing act as a distraction to seize power and become ruler of the Tri-State Area. He is the one they are referring to now as Emperor Doofenshmirtz."

"I heard the guards talking about him when they brought us home," Candace interrupted.

"That's right, they are under his control now. So are most of the other government officials. Basically, Doofenshmirtz used the people who are supposed protect the city as his pawns to take over for himself. He has also relocated City Hall to his evil lair; and from there he plans to rule the entire Tri-State Area with an iron fist."

Monty stopped to see how the siblings were absorbing this information. They were stunned to silence.

"There's more," Monty continued. "Have you seen this yet?" He held out a small pamphlet in front of them.

"The cops gave that to our Dad when they took us home," Phineas remembered, "but we didn't actually read what it said."

"Take a look," Monty handed the unfolded pamphlet to Phineas, and Ferb and Candace read it over his shoulder.

In the center was a colored photo of a man's face with a long, pointy nose and dreadful underbite. He had short, brown hair that splayed out in all directions, and had large circular eyes that stared up from the page. Surrounding the picture was some text, which read:

 _Our new leader, Emperor Doofenshmirtz The Great, has unveiled a new plan to educate the children of the Tri-State Area. Due to the inadequate planning and incompetent attention provided by the previous mayor, Roger (may his name be ever shamed), every school in the city has been displaced to an unknown location. We cannot let his failure as ruler frustrate the present needs of our children and their children; and so it is that Emperor Doofenshmirtz is proud to introduce his new school for the future education and learning of his subjects: the Doofenshmirtz Educational Institution. Classes begin tomorrow, and all children who are of school age are required to attend._

The address, times, and age groups were given at the bottom.

"Well, that's good that school will be starting," Phineas said.

"No, it's bad," Monty told him. "Doofenshmirtz is trying to show the people how beneficial he is so that he can ensure they won't uprise against him. Then, given enough time, he will grow so powerful that he will become nearly impossible to overthrow. That is why we must act quickly, before he can build momentum."

"What should we do?" Phineas asked.

"There is only one way to defeat an evil scientist. That is to meet him in battle and defeat him in hand-to-hand combat, then to destroy his invention. Leave that job to me, none of you have had any training and I don't want one of you getting hurt. What I need your help with is finding a way to undo the twisted work of Doofenshmirtz's invention. You guys look a little young to know your way around theoretical science, but if you could build a giant floating theme park, that's good enough for me."

"That sounds like it's right up Ferb's and my alley," Phineas replied.

"What about me?" Candace asked. "What do you need me to do?"

"Do you have a driver's license?" Monty inquired.

"Not yet, just my driving permit."

"Good enough. Now that Doofenshmirtz is 'ruler,' old laws are no longer applicable, so at least until Doofenshmirtz says so, it is no longer illegal for you to drive without an adult in the vehicle anymore. Your job will be to get us there."

"Okay, we can take my Neddlington Nymph. Nice law-bending skills, by the way; you could make a good lawyer," Candace said, suddenly excited to be able to drive.

The four of them headed downstairs to the garage. On their way out, they crossed Lawrence, who told them as they passed, "I say, children, I must have slept all day, I can't remember a thing since going to bed last night. But somehow I found myself sleeping on the couch rather than in bed, it's very peculiar."

* * *

With the sun more than halfway through its descent in the western sky, the police officers cast long shadows as they swept through the _Make Summer Last Forever_ , nabbing stray kids everywhere they went. Ever the police tightened their circle, seeking to contain the remaining occupants to the center of the park. The surgical precision of the operation was overwhelmingly thorough, and soon the number of kids and teenagers who had been arrested numbered in the hundreds.

"You will be taken to your parents," the chief of police explained to his captives. "By order of Emperor Doofenshmirtz, summer vacation is now over, and you will be sent to mandatory schooling and reform at the new Doofenshmirtz Educational Institution. There will be no more summer festivities, parties, or socials. Instead, we are setting a curfew for the rest of summer, during which all children are required to stay indoors. You will report tomorrow morning to Doofenshmirtz Educational Institution for instruction and are not allowed to do anything else whatsoever." He looked down a line of tied teenage prisoners. "Dismissed!"

The youngsters were taken in groups down the elevator to ground level. Then they were conveyed across the city to their several homes and turned over to their parents. All parents were instructed to send their children to D.E.I. for classes on the morrow, and the police escorts headed back to taxi away another shuttle of the rebellion. The system smoothly kept a steady flow in and out of the sky-park, keeping order and preventing any further uprising.

For the rest of the cops who weren't involved in ferrying the captured delinquents home, the battle for Phineas and Ferb's ship waged on. Since most of the younger children and casual partiers had been the easiest and therefore earliest to be captured, those who were still fighting were the older, more zealous teenagers. They weren't happy that their short lease on summer was over, and they did their best to make it as hard for the police as possible.

And they had found some of Phineas' and Ferb's creations. On the port side of the ship, a police task force radioed for help with a stampeding herd of mechanical bulls. Elsewhere, someone was riding around the starboard side inside a giant bowling ball to escape the cops. A few others who had similar ideas were making their escape in chariots running on souped-up lawnmower motors. However, the raging bulls were eventually diverted by a waving red flag, the bowling ball finally became wedged stuck between two buildings, and the chariots were ultimately halted by a dead end. The cops were then able to arrest those who had used the inventions just as they had all the others. The police were making progress, even though they had their hands full. And the number of partiers who were still at large dwindled to fewer and fewer.

* * *

"Hey you guys, look at this!"

Vanessa pointed at a strange, blue orb that was on display. They were hiding from the police in a sort of museum of the miscellaneous machines Phineas and Ferb had invented over the summer to break the laws of physics.

"What is it?" Johnny asked as he and the others came and looked at the exhibit.

Lacie looked at the sign above. "It says it's a 'molecular scrambler,' what does that mean?"

"It's a device that temporarily scrambles your molecules so you can pass through solid objects," declared Vanessa.

"How'd you know that?" asked Dana.

"It says it right there, under the display case."

"Oh."

Vanessa peered at the ball-like object. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Are you thinking you're going to change your mind about breaking up with me?" Johnny importuned.

"No-o. I'm thinking that we can use _this_ to hide from the cops!" She reached out and picked up the scrambler, and an alarm went off. "Or, maybe not."

Almost unrealistically soon, a couple of officers arrived on the scene. "There they are! Get 'em!"

"Run!" Vanessa pushed her friends to get them going. "Oh, how does this stupid thing work?" She spun the sphere in her hands, looking for any sort of "on" button. They reached a dead end, and it became clear the device wasn't working when they stretched out their hands and felt the wall to be as solid as any wall should be.

"We're cornered," Heather whined. "Now what are we gonna do?"

"Freeze," shouted the officers as they rounded the corner and approached the small gang. "Police!"

Johnny shoved Vanessa, who happened to be the closest person to him, into the gap as a human offering. "Please, don't arrest me, take her instead!"

The shove caused Vanessa to stumble and accidentally compress the sphere down its oblong side, and she felt a weird current of energy engulf her body. The officer who reached out to arrest her passed clean through her body, to both their astonishment. Quickly, Vanessa angrily rounded on her ex-boyfriend.

"That's it, Johnny! We are _sooo_ over! Whoa!" At that moment, without warning, Vanessa felt herself fall straight through the floor, reflexively clutching the molecular scrambler in her hands for dear life.


	6. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Doofenshmirtz Educational Institution," Baljeet read, his neck craning to see the letters high above them. "I thought I was familiar with every institution of learning in this city, but apparently I was wrong."

"I've been here before," Buford remarked.

"What? How could you have been to an education oriented facility and I have not?"

"Dunno. Maybe it's new."

"Well, whatever has happened to the schools, this place is behind it. Let us see what is inside."

The two boys walked in through the front door to a wide open lobby and headed for an elevator to their left. "It's on the top floor," Buford said.

"How do you know?" Baljeet asked.

"I told ya, I've been here before. And, that's where the white building is sitting—on top."

"Oh, of course, I should have known," Baljeet said. They pushed the button to take them up. As the doors to the elevator encased them, a brightly colored Neddlington Nymph pulled to the front of the building.

"This is the place," Monty told the others as they climbed out of the car and walked through the door. "We'll take the elevator, it's a long way up." Monty pushed the button to call the lift while the others caught him. It was a short wait until the doors opened, and the four climbed in. As they ascended, they listened to the elevator music playing softly in the background.

 _{Bow chika bow-wow, that's what my baby says!  
Mow-mow-mow! And my heart starts pumping!}_

An optimistic _ding!_ chimed and the doors split open, revealing a hallway with two boys standing with confused looks. "Baljeet? Buford?" Phineas called.

The two turned to see Phineas, Ferb, Candace, and another teenage boy they didn't know, stepping out of the elevator they were just in a minute ago. "Phineas! How did you find us?" Baljeet asked, as he and Buford walked over to join the gang.

"I don't really know."

"Who are these guys?" Monty asked.

"A couple of dweebs," Candace muttered.

Phineas didn't seem to hear Candace's sarcastic remark. "These are our friends, Baljeet and Buford. You guys, this is Monty, we met him after sending you guys down to find out about the schools. Hey, that reminds me! What did you find out about the schools?" Phineas asked.

"They're gone," Buford reported succinctly.

"Right. Anything else?" Phineas asked again.

"I ran some calculations when we were looking around," Baljeet answered. "I discovered that although we cannot detect the schools palpably or visually, I did find that their gravitational influence as buildings is still present. That meant they were still there, or at least nearby. It took a lot of number crunching to be precise enough to know for sure. Then, Buford saw City Hall resting atop this purple building, and I concluded that someone inside this building is twisting the dimensions of space and time to alter the location of the buildings. It was then that I realized that the schools are sitting somewhere nearby, probably only inches away from their usual resting place. However, we cannot see them because they were somehow shifted through the fourth dimension. That is what happened to the schools!"

"I don't understand anything you just said, so it sounds exactly like the kind of prank Doofenshmirtz would pull," Monty said. "If that theory is correct, will you guys be able to reverse it?" he asked Phineas.

"I think we can," Phineas replied. "If the schools have been moved through the fourth dimension, we'll definitely need to grab some parts, but everything we need is aboard our park."

"Perfect. Then you guys go there, grab the parts you need, and land the ship while it still has power. While you do that, I'll handle Doofenshmirtz," Monty said.

"Alone? No way, we can help you!" Phineas protested.

"It'll be okay, I've trained for this my whole life. Remember, you were the ones who told me that your park will crash when the sun goes down," Monty pointed out, "and it's already getting late."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Phineas nodded. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Absolutely. Go!"

The group turned and headed back for the elevator. As it opened, they entered and turned back to say good-bye to Monty. He waved back until the doors closed, then turned to walk down the empty hallway. There were several doors on each side of the hall. One door stood out; white painted letters spelled the words _Heinz Doofenshmirtz: Your Leader_ on its front.

"This one's it," Monty said, heading for the door. "Are you going to join me, Agent P?"

Agent P peeked around the plant he was hiding behind, amazed that Monty had seen him.

"C'mon, between both of us, Doofenshmirtz doesn't stand a chance."

* * *

"Oof!"

The form of Vanessa Doofenshmirtz materialized from out of the ceiling and landed on a sofa, which broke her fall. She released the molecular scrambler to brush her hair out of her face and push herself up. "Now where am I?" she asked aloud.

She had landed in some sort of food court, from the looks of things. There were chairs, tables, and couches taking up much of an open floor; and the court was, of course, deserted. It was something of a rest stop in the interior of the park, a place where people could go to get out of the sun, maybe grab a bite, and relax. Vanessa was just glad that there weren't any police here. Yet.

With that thought in mind, she decided it might be best to keep on moving. She bent over to pick up the molecular scrambler. "So you turn on and off by sliding in and out," she commented. "Well, you will probably come in handy, and I need to definitely stop talking to myself."

"I didn't mind," someone behind Vanessa said, making her jump. "I like the sound of your voice."

"Tommy?" The leader of the gang who had started the riots, Tommy, was leaning against a wall, watching her. She must have missed him when she first scanned the room to take in her surroundings. Tommy was average height, had wide shoulders and was on the stout side, and kept the hair on his head shaved bald. He was dressed in all black clothes and used a chain in place of a belt for his pants. Finally, he wore thick, black combat boots. "What are you doing here?" Vanessa asked.

"Looking for the schematics to this ship," he said. "Want to help?"

"Um, sure," Vanessa decided, before pacing over to where he stood. "But, aren't you worried about the cops finding you?"

"Nah." Tommy turned to lead her down a corridor. "They're staying on the top level. They have a perimeter that they're keeping the rest of us in, soon we'll be the only two left on this ship."

"How do you know that?"

"As soon as we find the schematics, I'll show you."

They walked some, and to keep away the awkward silence, Vanessa mentioned, "I'm Vanessa, by the way."

"I know who you are."

Her eyebrows went up. "Oh. Now I'm not so sure I like the fact that the leader of the _Jaguars_ knows who I am."

Tommy waved a hand to dismiss her notion. "Don't sweat it. It's not because I'm the feared leader of one of the major gangs of the Tri-State Area that I know who you are," he assured her. "Actually, I know your father. He's one of the founders of LOVEMUFFIN, right?"

"Ugh, I like the sounds of you knowing me because of my dad even worse," Vanessa sounded.

"Yeah, evil scientists don't make for very good fathers."

"You can say that again." Vanessa paused. "So, does that mean…?"

"Yeah, my dad is also an evil scientist, and a member of LOVEMUFFIN. You know, he's the one who's always carrying around a microwave?" Vanessa's face told him she was drawing a blank. "You'd recognize him if you saw him. Ah, here we are." Tommy stopped at a door and inspected it. He extracted a high-tech looking device from his pocket and sent his thumbs whizzing across its buttons.

"What is that?" Vanessa asked.

Tommy didn't look up. "A little invention of my own. Guess you could say the talent runs in the family. I'm trying to hack into the security so I can access this door, but whoever built this place knows how to make a mean firewall."

Vanessa thought of Ferb, for some reason.

"There!" exclaimed Tommy, after a little more fiddling with his machine. A light flashed on the door's electronic keypad, and he reached for the handle. Suddenly, a second door made entirely of metal slid into place to reinforce the first one. The boy ran a hand over his shorn head disconcertedly. "No, I take it back. Whoever built this system knows how to make a _very_ mean firewall."

* * *

Isabella lay curled up in a ball at the foot of her bed, a dozen or so used Kleenex tissues scattered around her lifeless body. She was wracked with shuddering chills as she again thought of the last thing her mother had told her: she wasn't allowed to see Phineas ever again. It had been the saddest moment of her life.

It had only happened a short while earlier that evening, but she felt like she had lain here in the fetal position for hours. Pinky had come in not long ago, sensing something was wrong, but she ignored his attempts to get her attention. He had given up and fallen asleep in his bed, waiting until she was ready to be comforted. But nothing could comfort Isabella now. Not when her whole world had been shattered.

"Oh, Phineas," Isabella whispered softly, "how could I lose you?" It required so much energy just to say that much that she spoke no more. She would have cried again, but her tear ducts were dry as a desert. And she didn't have enough strength left to cry, anyway. She had become a worn out shell, a feeble tabernacle for the love that would never know fulfillment. She shut her eyes against the pain, burying her face deeper into her arms.

 _Phineas isn't coming back,_ the poor girl moped to herself. _He and the others are probably having some big adventure without me, finding the schools and playing on the sky-park, not even giving me a second thought. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye._ Her insides twisted and clenched, her emotions growing harder and harder to bear.

 _He doesn't even like me_ , a voice whispered somewhere in her mind. _He never even notices me. He is always more interested in his projects and inventions. He doesn't care about me._

 _That's not true!_ Another voice contended. _He's the most caring person I've ever met!_

 _But,_ her thoughts struggled, _then why has he forgotten me so soon?_ Rather than think about it, Isabella pulled her knees in tighter and tried to empty her mind of all thought. But that just made her feel worse, and she almost started to cry again.

It was at this moment when Isabella sank into the deepest, most wretched sorrow of her life. Heartbroken, exhausted, she would have shortly given in to melancholy slumber, had not her door opened and Gretchen walked in, denying Isabella her tenuous peace.

"Where have you been, fearless leader?" Gretchen asked. "Our troop has been waiting for you!"

Isabella didn't move. "I'm not up to doing any Fireside Girls stuff tonight," she said without even opening her eyes.

After all the things Gretchen knew had gone wrong today, she again saw something was wrong with her troop leader. She sat down on the bed and put a hand on Isabella's shoulder. "What's wrong? Have you been crying?" she asked, having just noticed the litter.

Isabella stirred at the touch, feeling the warmth of her friend's hand. "Today is the worst day of my life. My Mom has forbidden me from seeing Phineas ever again!" Isabella placed her head in Gretchen's lap and found a new reserve of tears. Gretchen reached for a fresh Kleenex and gently wiped the moisture from Isabella's cheeks.

After giving Isabella time to regain control, Gretchen asked, "Why would your mom do that?"

"Because the cops took us home from the park and convinced my Mom that Phineas and Ferb were doing something wrong when it really wasn't their fault, so she doesn't want me being around them anymore," Isabella was able to say without crying this time.

"Harsh," was all Gretchen could say. She rubbed Isabella's back as silence descended, broken only by Isabella's sniffs.

"The reason we were having a meeting," Gretchen said quietly, almost to herself, "was because some scary things have been happening. Somebody's trying to claim that they're emperor of the Tri-State Area. There are rumors that a lot of laws are being changed, so the girls met to talk about forming a resistance." Gretchen was only trying to explain her purpose for coming, but instantly realized Isabella was too distraught to care about anything right now. _Oh, that was insensitive to say! What was I thinking?_

"What if we found a way to change your mom's mind?" Gretchen tried.

Isabella perked up at that. "You guys would do that for me?"

"Of course we would, you're our leader," Gretchen assured with a kind squeeze. "We'd do anything for you."

* * *

It was a tight jam for five people to fit in the car, but with Buford in the passenger seat, the three small boys in the back weren't too uncomfortably squashed. Candace drove carefully towards the Elevator to the Coolness located at Danville Main Street Park, cautious because she still wasn't completely confident in her driving capabilities. When they arrived at the park, they saw fewer police cars than had been there earlier, but still enough to make them uneasy. They still remembered the feeling of being on the cops' bad side. Slowly approaching the park, Candace wondered if the police would be happy to see her driving so many children with only a learner's permit.

As she feared, she was hailed by a nearby officer who was patrolling from the street. She braked to let him walk up and talk to her.

"Good evening, Missy," the officer spoke in a southern drawl. "For what reason would you be drivin' around this fine city when there happens to be a curfew in place for the rest of summer?"

"A curfew?" Candace asked. "I didn't know about any curfew."

"Yes, ma'am, Emperor Doofenshmirtz placed a curfew earlier today; no children are allowed to be outside for the duration of summer."

"That's terrible!" Phineas spoke up from the backseat. "Why would anyone want to put a curfew on summer? How would anybody have any fun?"

"That's the idea, m'boy," the officer said. "Fun is dangerous, Emperor Doofenshmirtz is doing this for your own protection. How else would he be such a wise and beneficial leader?"

"But what about creativity? What about building and learning? What about freedom and growth?" Phineas responded.

"Oh, there'll be plenty of opportunity for all that, when y'all attend his special school he has prepared for special children like you. Now, again, what's yer business drivin' about when there is a strict curfew?" he asked Candace once more.

"Um, we need to ride that lift to the sky-park?" Candace tried.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but that is forbidden. I'll have to ask you to exit the vehicle and come with me. I need to get you children home to where you belong."

Candace glanced at Phineas in her rear-view mirror, who shook his head. "Um, yeah, no, I really need to get aboard that ship," she said, only slightly more firmly.

The officer inserted both thumbs in his belt and said, "I told you, you aren't doin' that. Now please exit the vehicle or y'all will be in serious trouble."

"Step on it!" Phineas yelled in Candace's ear. "Get us away from here!" Candace stomped on the gas pedal and the car streaked down the street.

The cop reached for his radio. "I got a group a' kids who are driving a color-changing classic car eastbound from Main Street Park, yessir, they're drivin' very fast and dangerous, I need backup, over." He jumped into his car, turned on the flashers, and gave chase.

"He is following us!" Baljeet informed the others.

"I know! Let me concentrate!" Candace shouted over her shoulder, revving her engine to go faster. Soon, two more cop cars joined in the pursuit, their sirens wailing loudly.

"There are more!" Baljeet yelled back. "Go faster!"

"I'm trying!" Candace screamed. "I'm still not used to this driving thing!"

"They're getting closer!" Phineas warned. "They're gonna catch us!"


	7. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, feet tucked almost under her and elbows propped up on her knees, and the molecular scrambler laying at her side, Vanessa waited. Tommy was still fighting the security, and he still hadn't told her why he wanted to get inside so badly. But at least he had been right about one thing. There had been no sign of the cops the whole time they'd been below deck. Which made sense, when she thought about it. The party to make summer last forever had been atop the ship, and if the police had blocked the ways to get inside, it made it a lot easier to arrest everyone on board. But that brought about other questions. Like, how did Tommy get below? How did he know the cops wouldn't find them down here? And why did he want to get inside that locked door?

"How's it looking on the hacking situation?" Vanessa asked.

Tommy ran a hand over his shorn head. "Think you can do any better?" he breathed, frustration showing all over his face.

"I believe I can," smirked Vanessa. She stood and stretched before grasping the molecular scrambler coolly and sliding it in to activate it. Then, she walked straight through the door. Tommy's jaw dropped. A moment later she peeked her head back through and looked at the leader of the rebellion against school. "Are you coming, or what?" Tommy nodded and jumped through after her.

For all the effort they went through to get past this door, Vanessa thought what was inside was very unimpressive. A bare white counter sat like an island in the middle of the room, which was itself smaller than her mother's walk-in shoe closet. (Granted, her mother did have a very large shoe closet.) On the walls surrounding the island were shelves and cabinets, which Tommy shuffled through earnestly.

"Here we are," he said, pulling a paper rolled up like a scroll off one of the shelves and laying it across the island countertop. Vanessa helped pin down two of the corners and scanned what was on the sheet.

"It's the blueprints to this park," Tommy explained. "I've been looking for these schematics all day. With these, we'll be able to take control of the ship, and fly it far away from here. At last, we'll be able to make summer truly last forever!"

"Uh-huh," Vanessa acknowledged, giving him a slightly suspicious look. "Do you, um, really think that will work?"

"Of course it will," Tommy replied as he bent over to inspect the details more closely. "This will show us where the control room is. From there, we can figure out how to steer this thing, and then—."

Vanessa interrupted him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Oh, you're right!" Tommy agreed. "We should also find out how to access the retroflective camouflage panels. If we can activate those, then we'll be able to hide forever. I wonder if they're also undetectable by radar."

"No, not that," Vanessa asserted. "I'm talking about your plan itself."

Tommy looked up. "What about it?" His cold stare reminded Vanessa that she was talking to the leader of a gang, and didn't like having his plans second-guessed.

"Well, for one, there's the cops. They're taking everyone. Summer is over—this party is over. What's the point of going on like this?"

Sighing, Tommy rolled the schematics back up. "Alright, yes, the cops were a setback. My party wasn't supposed to end that way; it wasn't supposed to end at all. I hoped to have already found these blueprints before anybody started messing with my plans, so we could simply fly away. Then nobody—no grown-ups, no teachers, no parents—could stop our summer from lasting forever." While he spoke, he unlocked the door they had phased through and swung it open, then indicated for Vanessa to follow. Once they had closed the door behind them and were walking down the hallway, he continued.

"But, as you pointed out, the cops are here. Nothing we can do about that. Once they round everybody up, load them off, and take them away, we'll have the ship to ourselves, Vanessa. We can still do this. We can still make summer last forever."

"You mean, you wanted this to happen? You let the cops arrest everyone as a diversion so you could take control of the ship!"

"I didn't want _this_ to happen! I wanted every kid in the Tri-State Area to have the chance for an eternal summer! And there's still time! All we have to do is get to the control center of this ship. After we have control, then we can think of a way to save our friends from the cops. We can find a way to rescue them. Then we'll make our getaway on this ship, and we'll be free, forever!" He stopped and placed a hand on Vanessa's shoulder to stop her, too.

"I need your help to do this," Tommy said. "I need you. We can do this, together." He looked into her eyes. "Will you help me?"

For a moment, staring down at the molecular scrambler she was still carrying, the goth girl hesitated. Then, with a sudden twinkle in her eye, she returned his look. "Yes."

* * *

Officer Lulu "Busting" Jones scanned the street for any signs of movement. "Officer Jones, report!" hailed her walkie-talkie.

"Quadrant 16 is silent," she answered. "It's all clear, let's tighten the perimeter. Wait…"

Just then, a boy and a girl, both teenage and wearing all black, came into view fifty yards away. The boy, who was bald, saw Officer Jones, and the pair of them turned tail and ran.

The ex-TV reporter dashed after them. "I see a boy and a girl, in all black, and am in pursuit, over!" She saw the two turn a corner and made a bee-line for it. Rounding the corner, Officer Jones stopped dead in her tracks.

It was a dead end, and she could have sworn she saw the brown hair of the girl phase straight through the wall.

"Officer Jones, have you maintained a visual on the suspects?" the radio crackled.

"Negative, I repeat, negative! The suspects have vanished! I don't know how, but somehow, they walked through a wall!"

"They _walked through a wall?_ "

"Affirmative."

"Oh, there she goes again," another voice on the radio said.

"That Officer Jones for you…" said another.

"It's true!" she repeated. "I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"Yeah, just like that time the street light at the corner of Ross and Twelfth changed colors to blue and white."

"Or that time four octogenarians got attacked by a flock of 'obese butterflies' at the park."

"Honestly. If anyone ever needed to take to heart the story of the little boy who cried wolf…"

Lulu "Busting" Jones let her head droop in shame.

* * *

"It's time to make Doofenshmirtz pay for what he's done today," Monty said. Agent P nodded and readjusted his fedora, ready for battle. Monty opened the door and they stepped into Doofenshmirtz's apartment. The green and purple hues that usually decorated the room had been replaced by white light, the color of the City Hall building that had now settled where the roof used to be. But the more noticeable change was the wide space in front of them. There was no furniture, no electronic equipment, only a vast, empty lobby.

Monty had assisted Agent P at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated once before, so he knew this was not the usual layout for this evil lair. He looked at Agent P, who shrugged back; apparently he didn't know what was going on either. The two proceeded forward, checking every step for booby traps. They quickly realized nobody was on this floor. Agent P was stumped by this, Doofenshmirtz only rarely left his building. Then Monty pointed out some stairs, and he understood. Doofenshmirtz had already moved in to his new office in the City Hall building and had left his downstairs empty. They climbed upward in search of the evil scientist.

They reached the top and went down the hall. A couple of Doofenshmirtz's mind slaves passed by. Monty thought they'd be stopped by one, but each moved purposefully on, occupied only by their orders from Doofenshmirtz. Agent P led the way to the executive office and knocked at the door. "Come in," answered a relatively high-pitched voice for a man, and they did so.

Doofenshmirtz was sitting behind a large desk on the opposite side of the room. "Ah, Perry the Platypus, I see you brought a friend. Wait, how come he's not an animal?" Doofenshmirtz asked, pointing at Monty.

"Doctor Doofenshmirtz, you're under arrest for attempting to overthrow the city, for causing all the schools in the city to disappear, and for numerous other offenses," Monty informed him.

"By whose authority? Yours? You're not an agent, you aren't even wearing a hat!" Doofenshmirtz replied.

"No, but he is," Monty gestured to Agent P.

"He might be an agent, but he can't arrest me if he's under my control!" Suddenly Doofenshmirtz reached into his lab coat, pulled out his Do-Whatever-I-Say-Inator and fired it at Agent P.

Quickly, Agent P ducked to dodge the blast, and as he did so, he heard Monty scream, "Look out!" and jump in the way to absorb the ray, attempting to protect the platypus.

"Aha!" Doofenshmirtz said with glee. "Foolish boy, didn't he realize I can never manage to hit you with my -Inators, Perry the Platypus?" Agent P looked to see Monty lying prostrate on the ground. A look of horror crossed the secret agent's face as he realized he had let pain befall the Major's son.

"What's the matter, Perry the Platypus? Are you frightened by the power I wield in my hand? By how I plan to unleash it upon the Tri-State Area?"

Agent P glared at Doofenshmirtz as he growled angrily. "Grdrdrdrdrdrd!"

"Oh, but you are right! I haven't told you the final step in my thus far successful plan," Doofenshmirtz mocked. "You see, Perry the Platypus, after I got rid of my brother, it was a cinch to seize power using this." Doofenshmirtz indicated the Do-Whatever-I-Say-Inator, placing it down before him on his desk. "But taking over requires more than holding the reigns in your hands, you also must control everyone else into not wanting to hold the reigns themselves. That is why the final step of my plan is so genius. But I could not have done it without my wonderful helper. Mr. President, come out!" Doofenshmirtz called.

Dressed in a lab coat as well, Donald Fergusson stepped into the room from a side door. "He's not really the president, I just like calling him that for some reason," Doofenshmirtz explained. "He actually used to work as the superintendent, giving him considerable knowledge in education and schooling. Together, he and I came up with a plan to remove Roger from office by destroying every school in the Tri-State Area! It was simple; once the schools were gone, there would be nowhere for the children to go when school started. It would humiliate my brother into resigning, and just like that, I could take his place. But you already knew that, didn't you? The final part in my genius plan is to look like the hero Roger was. I am even now presenting my building as the only school in the Tri-State Area: I call it Doofenshmirtz Educational Institution. I charitably donate my building to the needs of the city, school children come to be taught by me and Mr. President, yada-yada, and BOOM! Everyone in the city believes I have done a good deed, cementing my position as ruler of the Tri-State Area! Only when it is too late will they realize that I plan to make them all serve me! Ahahaha hahahaha!" Doofenshmirtz threws his hand in the air, his maniacal laugh resounding uncontrollably.

"But it doesn't end there, Perry the Platypus. It is only the beginning. Here's what I bet you didn't know. My institution of learning will be unlike any on this planet! Here I will indoctrinate all the children to serve me! I will plant in their minds the desire to be my slaves, to know nothing but servitude. And then when they go home and their parents asked them what they learned in school today, they will say, 'we learned to serve our leader, Heinz Doofenshmirtz, because he is such a great and evil ruler!' And then what will their parents say to that? 'Oh, Emperor Doofenshmirtz is truly magnificent and wunderbar, we should be his underlings for the rest of our subjugated lives!' And in one fell swoop, I will have achieved total domination! Everyone will want to serve me, and I won't even have to go around one by one using some -Inator to control all their feeble minds. I'll be unstoppable!" Doofenshmirtz's face bore a cartoonishly wicked grin as he watched Agent P's horrified reaction. "In fact, my evil scheme has worked so well, I think I should try using it on an even bigger scale! Maybe the next target for my School-Remove-Inator will be the White House or even UN Headquarters!"

Still laying on the floor, Monty grunted and moved a little.

"So, now it all comes to this. It's your last chance to defeat me, Perry the Platypus. Smite me, thwart my plans. End this standoff!" Doofenshmirtz watched his nemesis unblinkingly, waiting for him to make a move. Agent P stared right back. The atmosphere charged with intensity as each tried burning a hole in the other's face with only their stares.

Agent P sprang into action. He leapt for Doofenshmirtz, extending his leg for a powerful kick.

"Stop him, my mind slave!" Doofenshmirtz ordered.

Before Agent P could realize what had just happened, Monty stood on the spot and caught Agent P by nape of the neck. He twisted and hurled the platypus at the wall behind him. Agent P slammed hard against it. Landing uneasily, he shook his head and looked up to see Monty now under Doofenshmirtz's control.

"Stand up, Perry the Platypus! You'll have to get through Monogram's kid if you want a shot at me!" Doofenshmirtz taunted.

* * *

Candace urged her Neddlington Nymph onward tailed by several police cars, sirens wailing and lights blaring. "Does everybody have their seat belt on?" she asked the rest of the boys in the car. "This is gonna be ugly."

Candace slammed on the brakes and hit a right turn at high speed. She hoped to surprise the cops and stretch her lead, but to her dismay, they seemed to expect it and made the turn right behind her. "Oh no, you di'n't!" she said, flooring the gas pedal again. They lurched forward, but their pursuers held formation as they steadily gained more ground.

"We have too much weight!" Baljeet said. "Buford, you are slowing us down!"

"What?" The bully cried back. "Don't try pinning this on me! Why don't you think of something, Mr. Smarty—woa!" Buford was cut off as Candace took a left turn even sharper than the one before.

"Ugh, don't do that again," Buford said, looking squeamish.

"If you're gonna throw up, lean out the window to do it!" Candace warned.

"Don't worry, we Van Stomms pride ourselves on having iron stomachs," Buford grimaced.

"Candace?" Phineas exclaimed.

"Not now, Phineas! Can't you see I'm trying to drive!" Candace retorted.

The street they were on was wide enough that there was space to get some real speed. Candace pushed the car to go faster and faster, and they started to watch the cops slowly fall behind.

"You're doing it, they're giving up!" Buford informed them, head craned around to watch their tail.

"No they aren't," said Candace, pointing ahead. "They're setting a road block up ahead. We're trapped."

Everyone else turned in their seat to look forward. Candace was right; a huddle of cop cars was waiting a few hundred yards up the road. Candace had no choice but to slow down as they drew closer, finally stopping a short distance away from the blockade. Cautiously, the cars that were chasing them pulled up behind, closing off all exits. Candace slammed the horn in frustration.

"Candace?" Phineas tried again.

"What, Phineas?" Candace yelled back, irritated.

"I was trying to tell you earlier, Ferb and I installed a rocket engine when we helped Dad fix your car! Remember? We can fly!"

Candace released the horn. "What did you say?"

"Remember the little red button we told you about? Push it!"

Candace looked down at the cup-holder beside her seat, and saw the button Phineas was talking about. She instantly reached down with her finger and jabbed it. The car began vibrating. First the wheels folded in like an airplane's landing gear, the engine throbbed and the exhaust pipe transformed into a huge fuselage, which started blasting fuel like a fireball. It roared louder and louder, and finally the steering column dislodged to allow for vertical as well as horizontal steering. "Phineas, if we weren't in a hurry, you guys would be so busted! I can't believe this thing has sat in the garage for a whole month!" Candace remarked, despite not being able to hide the grin on her face at how cool it was.

"What are you waiting for? Bust us out of here now!" Phineas replied, not understanding what she had meant by her use of the word 'bust.'

Candace pulled up on the steering column and the car rose into the air. Seeing the looks of disbelief on the faces of the officers below caused her to cackle zanily. Leaning over the door to see the cops below, she called out loudly, "Candace Flynn is out. PEACE!" She stuck out her two fingers in a "V" symbol, and with that, the rocket engine kicked in with a deafening blast, shooting the car forward like a meteor. They streaked above the skyline, soaring above the long shadows cast by the buildings in the setting sun.

"To the sky-ship!" they all cheered.


	8. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

This was it. Having found the control room to Phineas and Ferb's ship, Tommy's grin was reminiscent of Vanessa's father's when he was pleased with the outcome of his latest –Inator. Lights were blinking, screens reading off numbers, dials and gauges filling up the space of all the walls. Vanessa felt like her dad would have had a field day playing with all the buttons; then she looked to her side and realized Tommy was about to have a similar reaction.

"Oh, yeah! This is great!" he exclaimed, drawn toward the nearest display set like a moth to a flame. In no time he was fiddling with switches and twiddling with levers, tinkering with dials and trundling with hand-cranks. After a chain of commands, he flipped one final switch with such fervor that Vanessa was starting to believe he actually knew what he was doing. A video monitor appeared from a fold in the ceiling and descended to eye level, and a map featuring many blue and red dots flickered on to the screen.

"The blue dots are the police," Tommy explained, "and the red dots are everyone else." Together, they watched what was left of the rebellion. A consolidated circle of red dots was stationed at the center of the park, while many more blue dots surrounded them. Only two red dots were safely outside the police perimeter line, and Vanessa quickly deduced that they must be Tommy and her.

"Let's try and see what's going on," Tommy said as he found a keyboard and started typing. The screen changed from the map to a video stream. Apparently he'd found a camera near the action. The picture took a moment to crystalize and they watched the cops complete their job.

The condensed circle of red dots turned out to be a group of rough-looking teenagers who all appeared to be members of the _Jaguars_ , the gang who had started the riot earlier that day. Everyone was handcuffed.

"I swear I will avenge you, my friends," their leader whispered from Vanessa's side.

The chief of police gruffly gave his prisoners their orders like a drill sergeant. "As I told the other children we have apprehended today, you will be taken to your parents. Summer is officially over, and a city-wide curfew is now in effect until school begins."

Vanessa and Tommy watched them march to the elevators, the squadron of police escorting them off.

"Once the cops are gone," Tommy said, turning away from the screen to look about the cabin, "we'll make our escape. As soon as I figure out how the flying controls work, I'll be in control of who stays and who goes from this ship. From now on, no adults will ever make it back aboard. That's a promise. I'll turn off the elevators, just to make sure. Nobody will be able to come or go. Then we'll bring every kid in the city up here, and we'll fly away for good."

Vanessa continued to watch the screen where something strange was happening. Tommy had just missed it. While he was talking to himself, five more red dots had slid past the corners of the screen of the map and were approaching the two dots representing Tommy and her inside the control room, fast. It was like they knew they were there. But the dots were red, so the one thing that was certain was that they were not cops.

"What is that?" Vanessa said, interrupting her cohort's mumblings. Tommy looked at the screen and froze.

"I have no idea."

The five dots had stopped for a moment, not far outside the control room, then assembled a line and moved directly next to the remaining two. Tommy and Vanessa turned to the door of the elevator outside and waited for the new arrivals to slide into view.

A ding announced the elevator's return. When she saw who it was, Vanessa mentally slapped herself upside the head. Of course it was them.

Phineas, Ferb, and their sister Candace stepped out of the elevator, along with two of their friends—Vanessa was pretty sure their names were Baljeet and Buford. The group stopped in surprise when they saw they weren't alone.

"Vanessa?"

"Phineas."

"Vanessa?"

"Candace."

A stolid stare.

"Ferb. And—others." She didn't know the other two young boys as well. Except, maybe Buford, but that didn't mean she wanted to admit it.

"What are you doing here?" Phineas asked. "And, who's this?"

"This is—"

"Ah, Phineas and Ferb," Tommy interrupted. Vanessa noticed he was wringing his hands. "The builders of this ship, in the flesh."

"Um," Phineas tried, "do we know you?"

"Doesn't matter." Tommy stepped forward to put his arms around the boys. "I gotta hand it to you two, you've done excellent work with this ship. It's a fine work of art, a true masterpiece, and nothing less." He stepped back away from the two of them, and made a sweeping gesture with his arms. "I've never seen so much potential in all my life. But," he held up a finger, "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take it from you." That finger plummeted onto a nearby button. A cage dropped from the ceiling and surrounded the gang where they stood.

"Hey, what gives?" Candace cried.

Phineas placed his hands on the cage bars and nonchalantly looked sideways at his step-brother. "Do you remember ever setting a cage trap in here?" Ferb just returned a shrug. Phineas swiveled his head back to its straight-forward position. "Hm."

Tommy had a hand on his chin, like he was deep in thought, and was talking to himself. "Let's see, what does Dad always do at this part? Oh, right! Monolog!" He faced his trapped audience. "I guess I should start at the beginning, with my backstory! You see, evil scientists are not particularly well known for their exemplary parenting skills. When my father decided he wanted to take over the Tri-State Area on his way to world domination, he neglected the needs of his only son. Soon enough, that son had run away and found a new family. The gang I met on the streets took me in as one of their own, taught me how to survive when life gives you nothing. Always we had to run from adults who wanted to take us away, get us off the streets. I learned to hate grown-ups, to never trust them. When my father found me and brought me back home, I rebelled against everything I could. Causing fights, skipping school, I was almost sent to a detention center for troubled teens. That was when I ran away again, for good.

"But that's all ancient history. When I see this ship, I see a new beginning. A new chance for freedom. Freedom from the rules. Freedom from parents and grown-ups. Freedom from school and society. A place where kids can do whatever they want, whenever they want! Can you imagine it? A place where summer lasts forever!"

"A place where summer lasts forever…" Phineas replied, his mouth practically salivating at the thought.

"That's right," Tommy said. "All I need is for you to show me how to fly this ship. Together we can make it happen."

"A place where summer lasts forever…" Buford had joined Phineas in the chant and gone googley-eyed as well.

"Do not do it!" Baljeet interjected. "School is most important!"

"Would someone who built a gigantic theme park on their own need something as restrictive as school?" stated Tommy rhetorically. "School would only hold you back! Einstein didn't finish school, neither did Bill Gates!"

"Everybody needs school!" insisted Baljeet. "And, actually, Einstein did finish school, although that is a common misconception."

"Don't listen to that nerd, he's an oddball. Everyone who's normal secretly hates school. This, this is what they want. You'd be making every kid happy."

"At the cost of their futures!" Baljeet rattled. "School provides structure and order. Think of how messy their lives will turn out without that!"

Candace added her two-bits. "Phineas, remember what Monty said? School is the way you learn and grow, you said yourself without school you'd never have been able to do all the things you've done this summer!"

Phineas seemed to carefully consider the two differing sides, but didn't take long to finally made up his mind. "I won't help you," he told Tommy. "Monty and Baljeet are right. School is too important. Summer vacation is good and necessary so we all get a little downtime to unwind, but if you try to hold a party that goes on forever, it's eventually going to get stale."

"Pft," Tommy spat, "Monty Monogram; that little goodie two-shoes, that little straight arrow. Fine. If you won't help me, then I'll just have to do it myself." Tommy turned to face the controls and began hitting every button and switch in sight.

"Stop right there."

Everyone turned to look at the only other person in the room who wasn't trapped. Vanessa, who had been quietly watching this whole exchange, now took a defensive stance. "Tommy, I can't believe I'm saying this, considering my Dad, but your plan is crazy. Look." She pointed at the screen, which was now empty of all blue dots—the only red dots were the seven in that very room, the last seven people aboard the _Make Summer Last Forever_. "Everyone you called your 'friends,' you turned your back on and let them get taken away by the cops. The party was a disaster. Sure it was fun while it lasted, but did you see the mess it was making? With all the riots and all the looting and breaking things, it was a virtual anarchy! If there're no rules, who's going to clean up after yourselves? How long would it have lasted before the party got out of hand and tore this whole place apart?"

"Vanessa—" Tommy looked shocked. "I-I thought you were with me?"

"Sorry, guess I lied. You're not the only one with an evil scientist for a dad."

"I thought, because we had the same upbringing, you of all people would understand."

Vanessa sighed. "You know, you can't keep blaming everything on your dad. Just because our fathers are evil doesn't mean we have to be. We can choose for ourselves. So, make the choice. Drop it. Accept that summer can't last forever. Even if we tried, the world will still keep spinning around the sun. Fall will come, then winter, then spring and summer again. And no floating ship is going to change that."

Tommy looked speechless. He looked at Vanessa, then the others, who nodded in agreement. He fumed. "Well, then I'll just be sure to cross over to the southern hemisphere every six months!" He jumped at Vanessa and made to throw her in the cage with the others, but found himself flying through the air and phasing through her body to crash headlong into the wall behind her. One could almost see little cartoonish birds fluttering in circles over his dazed eyes.

Phineas and the gang looked on in shock until she extracted the molecular scrambler from behind her back and pulled its sides out to switch it off, and they all emitted 'Ohs' of understanding. "Here, you guys," she said, touching the sphere to the bars and rendering the cage semi-solid.

"Thanks, Vanessa!" Phineas said for them all. Candace immediately moved toward the window.

"It's almost sunset!" she exclaimed. "Hurry up and grab the parts you need, and let's land this thing before it runs out of power!

"Oh, right!" Phineas replied. "The reverse-dimensional transmission machine; I almost forgot! Ferb, let's scrap up some parts!"

As soon as they were free, Phineas and Ferb began bouncing around the control center, throwing all kinds of pieces of machinery and electronics into a box. "Be sure to grab the duct tape, Ferb, you never know when you'll need duct tape," Phineas suggested. Candace, Vanessa, Baljeet and Buford left this part to the young mechanics, and remained watching from the side.

"Um, so what do we do with him?" Vanessa asked, pointing at the corner where Tommy lay moaning. Nobody seemed to hear.

"I'll grab some breadboards from the coolant panel, and we'll need some washers and a ratchet to hold the hyperbolic disapplicator together. Definitely need the gyroscopic spectroscopy infuser…." Candace wasn't really listening to what Phineas said, it all sounded like gibberish anyway as he named all the parts and scraps they threw into the box. She was looking out the window, admiring the beautiful red sunset glinting on the western horizon. _If only there were one last chance to bust the boys this summer_ , she thought, but knew that that opportunity was sinking before her eyes as literally as was the sun.

"We're running out of time, Phineas!" she reminded him. "Hurry up!"

Phineas stopped suddenly, and his face turned pale. A U-shaped piece of metal that had a couple short, exposed wires sticking out of it was clutched in his left hand. "Uh-oh, that can't be good."

"What is it?" Candace asked.

The red-head exchanged a nervous look with Ferb. "It appears that he," Phineas pointed at Tommy.

"Tommy," Vanessa offered.

"Tommy," Phineas continued, "disconnected the orienteering vector components of the mainframe and unplugged the articulating silicone socket—"

"English, please?" mouthed Candace.

Phineas looked helplessly at the others. "He accidentally pulled out one of the parts we needed to steer the ship. We can't fly it anymore! It's going to crash!"


	9. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"What's the matter, Perry the Platypus?" Doofenshmirtz sneered. "Afraid you'll hurt the boy if you fight back?"

Agent P dodged another attack from Monty, handspringing back to the wall to put some space between them. Monty charged again, and Agent P dove to the side to avoid being tackled to the floor. "You can't keep running forever!" Doofenshmirtz said.

Monty prepared for another assault. Thinking quickly, Agent P grabbed a wooden chair from nearby and placed it between them, shielding himself from the teenager. Monty made to grab it from his hands, and Agent P sprang onto the chair, leaped into the air high overhead, and somersaulted over Monty. Agent P then rushed for the –Inator sitting on Doofenshmirtz's desk.

"No, you can't have that!" Doofenshmirtz cried, diving to grab it at the same moment Agent P did. Simultaneously they each grabbed a portion of it and began a tug-of-war. Agent P reached with one hand to try to poke Doofenshmirtz in the eye, catching him by surprise and causing him to block with one of his own hands. Agent P used the moment to obtain better leverage on the –Inator with his extra hand, giving him a slight advantage. Doofenshmirtz cursed and retightened his grip. With a snap, the –Inator broke in half, and the combatants were carried backwards by their own momentum.

"No!" Doofenshmirtz screamed hysterically. "What have you done? What have you done?"

Monty had a dazed look on his face, like he didn't know where he was.

"Attack Perry the Platypus!" Doofenshmirtz ordered. "Attack him now, you useless youth!"

Monty stood there bewildered, completely oblivious to Doofenshmirtz's commands.

"You broke the spell of my -Inator!" Doofenshmirtz screamed at Agent P. "Now I'm going to lose all my mind slaves!"

Agent P sprang up and connected a backflip-kick to Doofenshmirtz, knocking him across the room. The evil scientist dealt with for the moment, he turned to Monty to make sure he was recovering from being under Doofenshmirtz's control. Monty appeared to be alright, just disoriented. "What's going on?" he asked. "What's with the pharmacist laying in the corner? Wait, your hat!? Are we on a mission? Is that an evil scientist?" Agent P nodded, helping Monty to sit down.

"Agent P, I'm so confused. How'd I get here? Is this a dream or something? Wait, it's starting to come back to me. Yeah, that's Dr. Doofenshmirtz over there! Oh no! Is Vanessa here? Did she see me?" Monty asked, looking around. Agent P shook his head. "Okay, good, I don't want her to see me fighting her dad. Kind of a touchy subject for her." Agent P motioned for him to stay and rest. Turning, he saw Doofenshmirtz stand, rubbing his jaw.

"You think you've beaten me, but you haven't!" Doofenshmirtz told them. "Even in failure, I still win! You may have delayed my enslavement of the Tri-State Area, but at least I have successfully overthrown Roger! Even you can't undo that, Perry the Platypus! Now, it is time for my cliché villain escape." Doofenshmirtz reached under his desk to pull out a jet pack and strapped it onto his back. "Curse you Perry the Platypus!" he shouted as his jet pack blasted off. There was a crash as he flew through the roof of the building, and an audible, "Ouch! That ceiling felt like solid marble!" immediately followed.

"That's it? You're just going to let him get away?" Monty asked Agent P. The secret agent put a hand on the young man's shoulder, as if to communicate, _it's okay. When he comes back, we'll be ready._

* * *

"What do you mean it's going to crash?" Candace shrieked. "I thought you said this thing was safe!?"

"It _was_!" panicked Phineas. "Nobody has ever been able to hack through one of Ferb's firewalls before!" (Vanessa hid the molecular scrambler behind her back and whistled a tune of innocence.)

"Well, can't you fix it, or something?"

"It's not that easy! The computer would need time to reboot if we put the pieces back, and by then the ship would run out of power. There's nothing we can do!"

"There's gotta be something! Think, Phineas!"

Phineas obediently brought his hand to his chin. It took exactly five seconds. "I know what we're going to do today!" he finally exclaimed. "Ferb, do we have all the parts we need for the reverse-dimensional transmission machine?"

Ferb glanced inside the box briefly before giving the thumbs up.

"Good. Candace, you go start the car."

"I'm on it!" Candace saluted, noticeably in a hurry to get off the ship, and dashed out of the room.

"Phineas and Ferb are fixing the problem," Candace told herself, as she turned the key in the ignition and felt the engine rumble at her touch. "They'll never suspect it when I bust them to Mom."

She once again called the most used of her speed dial numbers. "Hello, Candace," Linda said from the other end.

"Mom! If you just listen to me now, I'll never have to call you about the boys again!" Candace assured.

"Hmm, somehow I find that hard to believe, but go ahead."

Candace told her about Phineas and Ferb's _Make Summer Last Forever_ , about how they were landing it at a stretch of plains outside of the city, and to please watch for a giant metal ship on her way into town. Then everything she'd ever been told by Candace would be confirmed.

"Okay, Candace, I don't know what kind of crazy your father has been feeding you, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for a—what was it? Giant floating ship-slash-park?"

"Mom, it'll be bigger than anything you've ever seen. You won't miss it."

"Alright. Now go tell the boys to get ready for school in the morning, I should be home in an hour or two." Linda hung up the line.

"Yes!" cheered the teenager. "I'm going to bust them after all! The right way, this time," Candace insisted to herself. And yet, she couldn't quite shake her doubt that, somehow, it still wouldn't be enough.

* * *

As soon as she was gone, Phineas continued. "Buford, you help Vanessa carry Tommy to the Neddlington Nymph. Baljeet, you bring the box with you. Ferb and I will take care of everything up here."

"There is not room in the car for all of us," noted Baljeet.

"Ferb and I can find another way off," Phineas stated. "But you four and Candace will fit. Now, we just need somewhere in the city to meet back up."

Vanessa spoke. "We can meet at my Dad's place. It's the purple skyscraper in downtown with its own jingle, you can't miss it."

"Okay," Phineas nodded. "We'll catch up with you guys there."

"How do you plan to keep the park from crashing into the city?"

Phineas explained. "The only way to keep the city safe is to keep the _Make Summer Last Forever_ flying indefinitely."

"But how are you going to do that when its charge depletes?" Baljeet asked.

"Simple. Put it in orbit. The hover engine has stabilizers that help the ship maintain a steady elevation. If we deactivate them, there'll be nothing to keep the engine in check, and the hover tech will cause the whole park to rise higher and higher. It'll be like letting go of a balloon. The only risk is that it will deplete the charge faster, so if there isn't enough power left to make it to at least orbital velocity before then, it will eventually fall back down to earth and crash. And at that point, nothing would be able to stop it."

"What is the current voltage output of your engines? I know just the equation to find out if it will make it or not," Baljeet offered.

"No time! If it works, it works; we just have to go for it!" Phineas replied. Buford and Vanessa obediently swung Tommy's arms over their shoulders and dragged him out; Baljeet heaved the box of equipment and followed after.

Phineas turned to face the main controls. "C'mon, Ferb, help me deactivate the hover stabilizers!"

* * *

The Neddlington Nymph sat idling as Vanessa seat belted a still unconscious Tommy in.

"Done! He's in," she announced. "Cool car," she added.

"Thanks. C'mon, Phineas, hurry up!" Candace honked the horn.

"He said to leave without them," offered Baljeet, who set the box on his lap.

"What?"

"No time to explain, just go!"

Candace activated the rocket mode and they sped off, flying safely away from the ship and heading for their home.

"This thing has a rocket mode?" Vanessa asked, impressed. "I wish my Dad did stuff like this for me."

As soon as they cleared the park, everyone but Candace (who was busy driving) turned to watch the majestically floating ship one last time. Ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly at first, it began to rise, but then it began to increase in speed. By the time they landed in the street in front of Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc., it was high in the atmosphere, and due to the spin of the earth, from the perspective of everyone on the ground it was curling slowly to the west.

* * *

"Aha, this ship is the perfect hiding place," Doofenshmirtz told himself, unstrapping his jet pack. He looked around the empty park he'd landed on. The remains of a festive banner was draped over what was once a great party. Now it sagged in the space above and behind his slouching shoulders, and if a tear through the middle were held back in place, it would have read, 'Welcome to Phineas and Ferb's _Make Summer Last Forever!'_

"Yes, Perry the Platypus will never find me up here. I can hang out for a while, play it 'cool', as they say; maybe use some spare parts to build an -Inator or two, life is good!"

Just then, Doofenshmirtz felt an upward lurching beneath his feet. "Wait, what was that? Is this thing moving?"

In a similar sensation to riding an elevator, he felt the ship beneath him rise faster and faster into the air. "What? Where is it going?" The motion began to accelerate and he was having more and more trouble staying on his feet. Finally the G-forces became too great for his strength, and he collapsed on his back, screaming as he ascended further into the atmosphere.

"Help! I'm going to need an oxygen mask soon!"

* * *

The orange orb-tip of sunlight peeked over the horizon for one final, lingering moment before slipping into gentle shadow. Candace, Vanessa, Baljeet and Buford turned away from the beautiful sight when the blast of two rockets to their rear met their ears. Phineas and Ferb settled the souped-up kiddie-rides they had refurbished earlier that summer on the sidewalk and dismounted to join the others.

"It worked," Phineas declared, a wide smile plastered on his face. "Danville is safe." It receded, however, when he looked up to the sky to watch the _Make Summer Last Forever_ shrink into the colorful sunset. "Good-bye, summer," he said in a low, meek voice. Ferb put a hand on his shoulder, and a vestige of that smile returned. "I'll be okay," he announced.

Buford, on the other hand, dramatically fell to his knees. " _¿Por qu_ _é_ _?_ " he shouted to the skies, hands raised high over his head in despair.

"Buford," Baljeet reminded, "you do realize that going back to school means you can bully more people, right?"

"Oh, yeah, huh." He stood and cheered. "Yeah! Summer's finally over! Bufey's back, baby!" With that, Buford gave his nerd a Wet-Willy.

"I had to open my big mouth," Baljeet slouched.

There was a grunt from beside the Neddlington Nymph. Tommy was waking.

Vanessa walked to the curb to stand over him. "I'll take care of him," she told the group. "You guys go bring all the schools back."

"Okay," Phineas said, leading the others back to the car. "Good luck!" he told Vanessa over his shoulder.

"See ya at school," Candace waved before climbing into the driver's seat.

"See ya," responded Vanessa.

Even Ferb waved back at the goth as the car pulled away. She watched them all the way until they disappeared. By then, Tommy was coming to himself, and she pulled out her phone.

"What have you done?" he asked once he realized he was back on solid ground. "What have you done to _my precious?_ "

"Oh, shut up," Vanessa sighed, without even looking at him. "I'm calling Monty right now; I bet the OWCA would love to have a word with you."

Tommy let his head fall back with a grunt.

* * *

Through raw determination and teamwork, the Fireside Girls had located the Mayor, Roger Doofenshmirtz, in a small sushi restaurant on the suburbs of town. It had been Gretchen's idea to find him; if anybody could convince Isabella's mother of anything, it was the city Mayor. He promised to grant them any request if they could help him recover his seat. Which had turned out to be easy—none of them knew about the covert operations of the O.W.C.A. They arrived at City Hall to find all its occupants disoriented and confused. Mayor Doofenshmirtz's charm instantly renewed them all, and he was quickly reinstated as Mayor. So Roger Doofenshmirtz agreed to to follow Gretchen's plan to help Isabella see Phineas again.

The Mayor arrived to personally invite Isabella and Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro to Danville High to watch the school be brought back to existence. They, along with the Fireside Girls and a small group of press, plus Candace, Baljeet, and Buford, sat on the grass to see if Phineas and Ferb's device would work.

There was no stage, just a few chairs set out for dignitaries and standing space for the audience. The boys' device was located convenient to a speaker's podium, and Mayor Doofenshmirtz sat down to allow Phineas to speak in the decaying light.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Phineas addressed the small crowd, "I'm pleased to announce that school is no longer canceled!" With that, Ferb turned on their invention, and they all held their breath as ripples of energy surged through the air. Nothing happened at first, but then, all at once, the school plopped back into their dimension. There was silence for the shortest moment, then cheering as everyone applauded. Mayor Doofenshmirtz, grinning from ear to ear, rose to speak.

"Today," he said, "we faced a crisis unlike any other. I am proud that these bright young children have stepped up to provide assistance in our time of need. Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, may I present you with this award for the special services you have rendered to our city. Thank you." He gave ribbons to the step-brothers and shook their hands while the audience clapped vigorously.

"Isabella," Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro spoke to her daughter as they watched from among the audience, "I take back what I said earlier. Phineas and Ferb are very good boys, and it pleases me that they are your friends."

"Thanks, Mom," Isabella said, and she hugged her mother as together they watched Phineas and Ferb accept their awards.

Someone was watching the two out of the corner of her eye. "The plan was a success," Gretchen smiled to herself and the other Fireside Girls. The troop, elated to see their leader happy again, silently congratulated each other with high-fives and fist pumps as Gretchen whispered, "Good luck, Isabella."

* * *

Night had fallen, and Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro had invited all the children to have dinner with her and Isabella. She made her specialty, enchiladas, and they were happy to eat as many as she could cook after such an eventful day. Even though they were all full and tired, they sat around the table talking for a while after dinner; talking about their fun on the ship all morning, about the riot and getting pulled off by the police, about how they prevented the ship from crashing into the city, and in general filling in the gaps for those who weren't there for parts of it.

"It was one of the greatest adventures we had this summer," Phineas was saying. "Definitely ended the summer on a good note."

"So what will happen to the ship now?" Buford asked.

"Phineas sent it to land by the highway, just like he said he would." Candace replied.

"Actually, I did something a little different, Candace," Phineas corrected. "You ran out before I could explain my plan. I deactivated the hover gear's elevation stablizers, causing the ship to rise and rise until it reached orbit. Ferb and I were able to confirm that _Make Summer Last Forever_ achieved a stable orbit before the power went out right before the ceremony."

"What?" Candace blurted out. "But, that means Mom isn't going to see it on her way home!"

"Yeah, it is too bad, we really wanted to keep the ship and all our memories from this summer; but it was the only way to save the city, so it was a sacrifice we had to make."

Candace banged her head down on the table dejectedly. "So much for busting my brothers," she groaned.

"So the ship is just going to orbit the earth forever?" Isabella asked.

"Either that," Ferb interjected, "or the solar panels will recharge in the sunlight, and it will keep rising until it is billions of miles away; at which point, there won't be enough sunlight to power them further, and it will stabilize in orbit around the sun. It will then become the largest man-made solar satellite in existence."

"Unless it gets sucked into Jupiter," Baljeet added.

Candace groaned again.

* * *

"You did excellent work today, Agent P," Major Monogram told his top field agent. "You defeated Doofenshmirtz and stopped his attempted coup, you protected my son Monty on one of his first assignments, and your host family ended up bringing peace back to the city. It was a fine job, indeed."

Agent P saluted the Major in thanks.

"Our sources say Doofenshmirtz was on board the sky-ship when it left the earth's atmosphere," Monogram continued. "We believe he is building a one-man space ship to return to earth, but our estimates put him at around an twenty hour or so ETA. In other words, he won't be back until tomorrow night, so I guess that means you finally get that vacation time you've been requesting all summer. Your next briefing will be first thing the morning after next, and it'll be back to business as usual. Remember, tomorrow is only freshman orientation for Danville High, so Doofenshmirtz will be back in time to begin his post as science teacher there, but of course we—and by we, I mean Carl—will continue to monitor his activities throughout. Enjoy your day off, Agent P. Monogram out."

* * *

It was starting to get late, and after being reminded about school in the morning by Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro, the group decided to call it a night. Everyone thanked Isabella's mother for the dinner and headed out the door to go home. Phineas, Ferb, and Candace were the last to say good-bye before heading across the street to their house.

"Man, I could not get enough of those enchiladas. Mom and Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro need to trade recipes sometime," Phineas commented.

"Yes. Yes they should," said Ferb.

At that moment, Candace's phone rang. "Hello?" she answered unenthusiastically. "Oh, hi Mom, yeah, I know, you didn't see any giant floating ship-park. Uh-huh, yeah, enchiladas and stuff, Isabella's mom made it for us. You're gonna be here in fifteen minutes. Okay, we're getting ready for bed right now."

"Was that Mom?" Phineas asked after Candace had hung up.

"Yeah. She said to be ready for bed before she gets home, so we get plenty of rest for school tomorrow." Candace opened the front door and they walked inside.

"Wow, school is tomorrow. I can't believe it. Hey Ferb, I already know what we're gonna do tomorrow—we're going back to school!" Phineas said it like it was the most thrilling moment of his life. "Are you guys excited or what?"

"I guess so," Candace said. "Summer is great, and everything, but it kind of felt like it was going to last forever. I think I'm ready for a change of pace." Candace thought back to earlier that day when she had taken advantage of having too much freedom. It was a little embarrassing to think about some of the crazy stuff she had done. If that had gone on much longer, who knows to what level of idiocy her actions might have sunk. "Yeah, this summer has had enough drama. It will be nice to go back to school and return to normalicy." Then, realizing the irony of what she was hinting, she sarcastically added, "Yep, 'cause nothing averts drama like high school."

* * *

"Isa," Vivian Garcia-Shapiro said from the hallway, causing the young girl to jump. "What are you doing?"

Isabella turned away from the window she had been looking out. "Mom, it's 'what'cha doin'.' You're saying it wrong."

Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro shrugged it off. "Were you watching them walk home?" she asked.

"Um," Isabella stalled, not wanting to admit she was watching Phineas.

"I thought so. I was watching your eyes, you never stopped looking at Phineas all through dinner."

Isabella blushed. "Well, he was talking most of the time, I was just paying attention."

"About as much attention as a puppy gives his owner when eating a corndog," her mother teased, seeing right through her cover story.

"Mom!"

"It's okay, daughter. I was once a beautiful young woman as well. He is a good boy, I am happy for you to be his friend." Her mother had a knowing smile playing across her face.

* * *

While he was getting ready for bed, Phineas thought back to the beginning of summer, when he and Ferb had sat under the tree out back, dreaming and scheming of what was to come after a ride on the coolest coaster ever. He could still smell the cool green grass they had comfortably lounged on. This moment, the night before school, had seemed so far away back then; and yet, here it was. Time had gone by so fast, it was incredible. With any luck, it would continue to fly forward 'on wings of silver laughter,' bringing him to his next summer adventure. Of course, there was also Christmas Vacation to look forward to as well.

 _Summer! Every single moment is worth its weight in gold._

The lyrics came familiar to Phineas as he reminisced. They brought a nostalgic smile to his face.

 _Summer, it's like the world's best story and it's waiting to be told!_

Like any good story, he wished it didn't have to come to an end. But then again, the end of one good story is only the beginning of another. What will be in the next story? he wondered. There's a world of possibilities.

* * *

Epilogue

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. The kind faced woman seated at the front stood and addressed the students.

"Welcome, class. I will be your new teacher, and I am very excited to get to know you all." Phineas was seated next to Ferb as the room of children quietly listened to the teacher introduce herself. She took only a minute, and after she had finished, she asked the class, "Since today is the first day of school, I want to have an activity for us to get to know each other. If you would please come to the front one at a time, I'd like you to tell us your name and something fun you did this summer. Now, would anybody like to go first?"

Phineas caught Ferb's eye briefly as both their hands shot up.

"Only one at a time, boys," the teacher said.

Phineas looked at her and replied, "Ma'am, with all due respect, we are brothers, and we'd like to go together."

"Oh, very well. In that case, you can both come up." She beckoned them forward with her hand.

Phineas and Ferb walked to the front and turned to face their classmates. "Well," Phineas began, "it all started when we built a rollercoaster in our backyard…."

The End


End file.
